Rocket-propelled Pokemon Tabletop

Lucian:
The beep repeats, at a higher pitch, then again a couple of seconds later. It's enough to home in on the source - a somewhat-dissected piece of gadgetry that's only slightly unfamiliar to Lucian. A few tell-tale details (namely, the waterproof buttons still attached to some tape-wrapped wires) identify it as a thoroughly hacked Pokeradar. The screen and casing have been stripped, and hooked up to a larger panel that looks more like a heart-rate monitor in a hospital. Scales along the sides give depth and distance.

From the motion of the pulses in the display (and figuring out what it was before someone butchered it), you conclude around half a dozen of the same evolutionary line of Pokemon are swiftly approaching the boat.

Hrm.


Nada:
Your attempts to MAKE ALL THE FRIENDS backfires as someone hauls you up from behind by the scruff of your shirt.

"Which one of you idiots," enquires the captain of the boat, "is in charge of this idiot?"

Dirty Harry is too busy giving the crabmons a critical glare to lend a hand; the captain is apparently dissatisfied with your companions' non-snappy answers and tosses you to the deck of the boat (5HP damage). The bigger caged Pokemon stops its rhythmical beating on the bars to spit some bubbles in her face, but the bars disperse what might've been an attack to the point of harmlessness.


Jack:

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SpoilerI wasn't expecting PvP nonsense so soon, but hey you're Rockets so what the heck.

Jack gleans surface thoughts of Minnie's sucessfully. Did you want to know what those were? Do you undertake in invasive telepathy? Thought not.

Nariman:
Beep boop them be Corphish, both female. The larger is about full size for its species; the smaller about half that.

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SpoilerWe interrupt this update with a notice for the three PokeDex owners (Nariman especially, being a Researcher class like Lucian and thus, backstory-wise, less likely to have acquired character levels through fighting stuff):

Because some players don't own Pokedexes, and trying to advance global knowledge about Pokemon distribution and isn't your average Rocket's aspiration in life anyway, levelling up via Pokemon Seen will be curtailed somewhat to prevent unfair advantages (to what extent, I'm still working on). To square things up a bit until then, Nariman and Jack should choose up to 125 Pokemon they've already recorded in their 'dexes, with an emphasis toward Pokemon of their native region. You can knock 25 'mons off this list at a time if you cite a different scenario where you gained a level (and just for kicks, other folks could list their five experiences in which levels were gained. Optional, but should give me ideas flesh out your characters some).

In Nottles' case (with whom I initially felt out this bit of hamstringing), his Remedial First Aid-gaining level was when he got a chance to (not surprisingly) perform a fair bit of Shoddy Remedial First Aid at which he became more profiient. The remaining four levels' worth of Pokemon Seen were mostly covered by the five generations of starter Pokemon and their evolutions, then a list of ubiquitous 'mons like Rattatas and Caterpies and Bidoofs, and a bunch of familiar natives from his Sinnoh region.

This'd probably all be easier on IRC (especially if you insist on a Dark and Mysterious Past) so remember to bother me about it on there.

Your feeble STR modifier, combined with your unaerodynamic ammo, buffets about half the paper scraps back. Some stick to the sides of the boat, most land in the water by the boat, and a few flutter out in the direction you intended.

It doesn't elicit any response-



But whatever was there had other plans in mind. Another carapaced Pokemon sticks its face out of the water, and shoots a jet of bubbles with enough force to sting and barrage the captain. This distracts most of you enough for something else to firmly smack the other side of the fishing boat. You turn, and a fourth Corphish launches itself onto the deck.

Captain Fischer looks none-too-pleased with this development. He wipes at the cuts trickling blood into his eyes, and retreats to his cabin, not bothering to ask Lucian what the hell he's doing there.

"This is your grunt's doing, you get rid of the Pokemon!"


Vladenie
Meanwhile, you get a much better look of what's happening on the port side of the ship - namely, the nasty crab-looking thing, which nearly takes your ear off as it forcibly boards. Unseen to everyone else, two more tried a similar stunt, with less success. They fell into the water with a splash, but the bubbles are now congregating around the bit of hull which unhinges, presumably to make it easier carting boxes on and off the deck.



Battle Start!

Status

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SpoilerMinnie: 78/78
Sergio: 48/48
Nada: 90/96
Lucian: 60/60
Vladenie: 52/52
Nariman: 52/52
Jack: 84/84

Poppy the Shuppet: 23/23
Dirty Harry the Scraggy: 20/20

Wild Pokemon (does not include Pokemon that either cannot currently target you, or be targeted)
Corphish 1: 20/20

Others:
Sea Captain: Injured
Deckhand: Healthy
Corphish 2: 10/25
Corphish 3: 11/21

Modnotes

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SpoilerHooo boy, first time to fuck up everything, we'll see how this rolls.

Players are listed in order of speed on my above lists, although if you're all amicable commands'll pretty much be issued in the order I get 'em in.

Greyed-out scenery is stuff you can just straight-up walk over. Other things occupy vertical space, which can be traversed at 1 move point per metre. For reference, the crates at the back are about 1m high, the ladder to the roof of the cabin is 2m, the retaining walls on the sides of the boat are a bit over 1m, etc etc etc.

I'm introducing a hithero-unseen mechanic, because otherwise this would've been too easy: A new Terrain type.


Slippery Terrain occurs where there's just enough moisture to slick the floors, without making it deep enough to wade through. Pokemon that Shift more than one square across it before stopping will have a +1 to their next move's AC check. Pokemon who normally use their Sky Capability to move are immune to its effects. Trainers, similarly, will have their AC penalised for attacks after travelling more than a step across it, in addition to forcing checks against your DEX mod for any complicated movements.