STICKY: Battle Mechanics

BATTLE MECHANICS

Sitewide events like RAIDS or DUNGEONS may require you to engage in RPG-STYLE COMBAT.
How does it work? Fear not: we'll help you out!

COMBAT CYCLE

The typical combat cycle goes like this:

• An enemy (or rival trainer) appears!
• You send out between 1-3 Pokemon to do battle (maximum 6 on-hand).
• You roll a number of many-sided dice for each of your attacking Pokemon, dependent on which Class they are.
• You hit automatically, dealing damage to your foe's HP.
• For each dice you roll, your foe also hits back for an automatic -10 DMG.
• After your turn, the enemy may make their own dice roll attack(s) on your Pokemon. 
• Your Pokemon cannot avoid being hit, but there are SPECIAL ABILITY actions you may take to help reduce damage.

Most battles on-site will be variations of this cycle! But how do you know how many (and what kind of) dice to roll? And where do Pokemon mechanics come into all of this?

PKMN CLASSES

A Pokemon's HP, Damage Dice, and Moves are dictated by a Pokemon's CLASS SKILL TREE. There are three different classes: TANK, SWEEPER, and SUPPORT. You may equip up to six Pokemon in each class! A Pokemon may only be equipped in one class at a time.

All unequipped Pokemon have 100 HP, a basic attack that deals a flat 20 DMG, and moves from levels 1-10.

Once equipped in a class, a Pokemon gains all the benefits of that class. If you change your mind later, you can SWAP that Pokemon back into your Storage Box or into a different class at any time for 50 BYTES.

• TANK Pokemon are defensive walls. They have high base HP and powerful "charge" attacks. While these superpowered moves may prove unstable at times, their potential is immense.
  
  
  

  TANK CLASS	TIER 1	TIER 2	TIER 3	TIER 4	TIER 5
  HEALTH	300 HP	400 HP	500 HP	600 HP	700 HP
  DAMAGE DICE	D50	D100	D150	D200	D250

• SWEEPER Pokemon are reckless, rapid-firing DPS machines. They use multiple attacks to inflict massive damage, but take heavy hits in return.
  
  
  

  SWEEPER CLASS	TIER 1	TIER 2	TIER 3	TIER 4	TIER 5
  HEALTH	150 HP	200 HP	250 HP	300 HP	350 HP
  DAMAGE DICE	2x D20	3x D20	4x D20	5x D20	6x D20

• SUPPORT Pokemon learn a combination of healing and support skills to heal, buff, and revive their allies during battle. Support Pokemon can also still attack with a basic 20 DMG attack.
  
  
  

  SUPPORT CLASS	TIER 1	TIER 2	TIER 3	TIER 4	TIER 5
  HEALTH	150 HP	200 HP	250 HP	300 HP	350 HP
  HEAL	2x D12	3x D12	4x D12	5x D12	6x D12

MOVES & LEVELING UP

Your Pokemon learns level-up moves based on their Class Skill Tree.

MOVES & LEVELING UP	NO CLASS	TIER 1	TIER 2	TIER 3	TIER 4	TIER 5
MOVES KNOWN	Levels 1-10	Levels 1-20	Levels 1-30	Levels 1-50	Levels 1-70	Levels 1-100
ADDITIONAL EFFECT			First Evolution	Second Evolution	Z-Move	Mega Evolution

A Pokemon learns all of the available moves within their range in the table above. For example, a basic, unequipped Pokemon in your Storage Box will know all the moves from levels 1-10 in its normal learnset. A Pokemon equipped in any Class at Tier 5 would be able to use any of its moves from levels 1-100.

Since damage is actually calculated using dice, Pokemon Moves are essentially descriptive flavor on this website. However, having a varied learnset can still be important. SUPEREFFECTIVE moves always earn a +20 bonus to attacks. Ineffective moves have no penalty, but TYPE IMMUNITY (i.e, electric vs ground) still remains in play, so be careful!

Pokemon on UNOVR use their most recent main-series learnset (Scarlet/Violet, Sword/Shield, or Sun/Moon). Hisui-exclusive Pokemon may use their PLA:Arceus moveset. Check Serebii or Bulbapedia! 

EVOLUTION

A Pokemon at Tier 2 or above in a Class Skill Tree may EVOLVE. Evolution is entirely optional! There is no inherent mechanical advantage to evolving your Pokemon on UNOVR. Unless the Pokemon's type changes upon evolution, the difference is mostly just aesthetic. We want people to take even their baby Pokemon to fight big bosses and emerge victorious!

Evolved Pokemon have access to all their previous evolutions' learnsets as well as their own.

If you would like to evolve your Pokemon, it costs 25 Bytes. Evolution is irreversible.

Z-MOVES

A Pokemon at Tier 4 or above in a Class Skill Tree may use a Z-MOVE once per thread to add a one-time +20 to their action for that turn.

A Pokemon may use a Z-Move of any move type they already know, including any moves they may have learned from TMs, Move Mods, or other means. The Player may also use Z-Moves based on these move types.

SPOILER: Click to show

{MOVE TYPES > Z-MOVES}
Inferno Overdrive
Hydro Vortex
Bloom Doom
Gigavolt Havoc
Tectonic Rage
Supersonic Skystrike
Continental Crush
Corkscrew Crash
Twinkle Tackle
Devastating Drake
Subzero Slammer
Acid Downpour
Savage Spin-Out
Black Hole Eclipse
Shattered Psyche
All-Out Pummeling
Never-Ending Nightmare
Breakneck Blitz*
*Z-Moves combined with the Never Normal ability become Breakneck Blitz, but use the new Never Normal type.

Pokemon-Specific Z-Moves such as Catastropika (Pikachu) and Pulverizing Pancake (Snorlax) may also be used by those Pokemon, given that they know a standard move of the same type.

Z-Moves may be combined with Mega Evolution (see below).

MEGA EVOLUTION

Certain Pokemon at Tier 5 in a Class Skill Tree may MEGA EVOLVE in battle!

A Mega Evolution can be performed once per thread and lasts for three turns. While Mega-Evolved, a Pokemon's rarity bonus will be increased to LEGENDARY (+20) and all of their attacks will be considered SUPEREFFECTIVE (+20) for the duration. Mega-Evolving Pokemon are listed here! Additionally, Gigantamax Pokemon will be treated as Mega Evolutions on this site.

Your Pokemon must be able to Mega-Evolve or Gigantamax in order to use this feature.

SHINY POKEMON

When a Pokemon's Class Skill Tree is fully maxed out, the Pokemon can become SHINY. Shininess does not occur under any other context on-site, so having a Shiny Pokemon is truly the ultimate mark of Pokemon Mastery!

Any Pokemon currently equipped in a fully maxed skill tree can be made shiny for free. However, if de-equipped, the Pokemon will lose its shininess.

ITEMS

Items on UNOVR are extremely rare and can usually only be acquired through Raids and Dungeons. Each Item is unique. Its effect may be aesthetic, or it may provide some kind of mechanical bonus or ability in combat.

In-character, you are temporarily invulnerable for 1 second while Using an Item (like drinking a potion, etc). Due to their scarcity on site, last-minute items may be used even if your Pokemon should have fainted otherwise.

SPOILER: Click to show

{TYPES OF ITEMS}

TYPES OF ITEMS

Items on UNOVR come in many different varieties! Many general-use items can be purchased from the Arena Shop, but most others are unique, one-time drops which are customized in response to in-game events or dungeons. Event Items are occasionally recycled into Random Loot Boxes, but are generally limited to the original participants who earned them. They're like a souvenir from your unique experience!

For example, after an event about Pokemon ski-jumping through flaming hoops, you might earn Flavor Item: Sizzling Skis, which might allow you to move twice as fast on snowy terrain. It would be unlikely to ever see that custom loot item again unless a very similar event occurred!

All items exist in-character and your character is consciously using it / obtained it in-character.

KEY ITEM
Unique or important items that cannot be traded to other players.

LEGENDARY DNA
A strand of DNA belonging to one of the currently-released UNOVR Legendaries. If you collect 5 strands, it becomes an egg (see below).

LEGENDARY EGG
An egg that will hatch into a baby Legendary Pokemon when the right conditions have been met. See this post.

BATTLE ITEM
These items have a small mechanical effect in battle, similar to (but not limited to!) the Held Items in the main game series.

CONSUMABLE
These items are generally more powerful than Battle Items, but have limited uses.

POKE-PET
A pet for your Pokemon! These tiny, miniaturized familiars are there to keep your Pokemon company while you're away in real life. Some pets may even provide a small bonus or benefit to their partner Pokemon.

TM
When you acquire a TM, all of your Pokemon which can naturally learn it can learn the TM as an extra move. TMs on UNOVR do not break or get used up, but if you trade the TM away, your Pokemon will all forget it again.

MOVE MOD
This "mod" for one Pokemon allows it to learn a particular move, even if that Pokemon can't normally learn it. For example, an Unown could learn Flamethrower if it had a Flamethrower Move Mod equipped.

TYPE MOD
This "mod" for one Pokemon allows it to change its typing to the mod's type instead. There are both Primary and Secondary Type Mods. For example, a Charmander (Fire-type) could be equipped with a Water Primary Type Mod to make a Water-Type Charmander. Or, it could be equipped with a Water Secondary Type Mod to make a Fire/Water-Type Charmander. There is no direct aesthetic effect associated with Type Mod changes (so Charmander wouldn't turn blue or watery) but you are free to roleplay subtle changes, such as Charmander feeling a bit cool to the touch.

COSMETIC SEAL
Apply this sticker to a Pokeball to give that Pokemon an altered appearance. The seal may alter its release animation, create an effect around the Pokemon, or change the Pokemon itself. The actual effect depends on the type of seal, but for example, the Clone Seal (available in the Arena Shop) applies stripes or mottled markings to a Pokemon, like those of the Clone Pokemon from Mewtwo Strikes Back.

FLAVOR ITEM
These items are often meant for the player, not their Pokemon, and provide a story effect that might change how you roleplay that character in certain situations. For example, you might get an item that allows you to change your voice at will, or which reverts you back into a child.

ACCESSORY
On UNOVR you are free to describe your character wearing anything you wish, but sometimes it's fun to get accessories too. Amulets, boots, belts, cloaks, hats, anything goes! Maybe your character wouldn't have designed themselves wearing a sports jersey, but if you get one, would you really say no?

CALCULATING DAMAGE

Bonuses apply to each dice rolled. Damage can be calculated like so:
PKMN RARITY + MOVE BONUS + TRAINER CLASS BONUS + MISC + DICE ROLL.

PKMN RARITY	MOVE BONUS	TRAINER CLASS BONUS	MISCELLANEOUS	DICE ROLL
(+0) COMMON	(+20) SUPEREFFECTIVE	(+5) TIER 2: TYPE PKMN	(+10) SUPPORT BUFF	(+?) ROLL VALUE
(+5) UNCOMMON	(+20) Z-MOVE	(+5) TIER 3: TYPE MOVE	(+?) ITEM BONUS
(+10) RARE		(+5) TIER 4: TYPE ENEMY	(+?) MISC BONUS
(+15) VERY RARE
(+20) LEGENDARY