Castellia- A Fantasy Setting (Sudowoodo! Sunflora! Donphan!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Castellia- A Fantasy Setting (Pidgeot & Co.! Aerodactyl! Diglett!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Spectrum wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 1:47 am I'm confused.. what do you mean Diglett isn't the heads of three oiled up muscle guys?
Apparently that whole thing started in 2006, when people realized there was no official art of Digletts out of the ground, and people ran with it after a dude drew Diglett as if he were the head of a really muscular guy. The most iconic subsequent pic being, in fact, three muscular dudes in an embrace, which makes the angry Diglett faces extra-amusing.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Castellia- A Fantasy Setting (Pidgeot & Co.! Aerodactyl! Diglett!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Pokemon to go- Omanyte, Kabuto, Chansey, Arbok, Magnemite, Voltorb, Snorlax, Electabuzz, Jynx, Lapras, Persian, Seaking, Venonat, Porygon, Kanghaskhan, Butterfree, Pinsir, Tentacruel & Dewgong.

Any ones in particular anyone wants to see earlier? I’ve kind of been going down by type before I finish with the Original 151 (no internet’s in doing anyone after, really).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Voltorb

Post by Jabroniville »

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VOLTORB
Role:
Floating Electrical Being
PL 6 (56)
STRENGTH
-3 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS -3 PRESENCE --

Skills:
Perception 4 (+4)
Stealth 0 (+7 Size)

Advantages:
Close Attack 2, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 4 (Detect Electrical Energy- Ranged & Acute, Low-Light Vision) [4]
"Tackle" Damage 2 [2]
Flight 2 (4 mph) [4]

"Ooze-Like Creatures"
Immunity 18 (Electrical Effects, Paralysis, Aging, Sonic Effects) [18]

"Electrified Touch" Electrical Aura 4 (16) -- [18]
  • AE: "Lightning Bolt" Blast 6 (Feats: Split, Accurate 3) (16)
  • AE: "Explosion!" Damage 6 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Side-Effect -2) (3)
"Natural Size" Shrinking 8 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [17]
(-2 Strength, -1 Speed, +4 Dodge/Parry, +8 Stealth, -4 Intimidation)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Electrified Touch +4 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Lightning Bolt +6 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +1 (+2 D.Roll), Fortitude +4, Will --

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Voltorbs cannot speak to humans, and do not possess any limbs.

Total: Abilities: -20 / Skills: 4--2 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 63 / Defenses: 4 (56)

-The true nature of Voltorbs had eluded naturalists, Rangers and Wizards for centuries- it was generally assumed that they hailed from an Elemental Plane, or were the creation of a rogue Wizard run amok. They lack much in the way of anatomy, and appear to be inherently electrical, firing out lightning bolts with great frequency. Finally, only a few years ago, it was discovered that the near-mindless creatures are actually related to the Oozes. Their spherical, elemental nature and the faces that appear on the beings (which are unexplained- they are not known to have emotions, though some have sworn that the creatures appear to be smirking at them) had confused everyone.

-Voltorbs are spherical beings that are bilaterally split between red and white- larger ones appear to be white on top with greater regularity. Very, very rarely, a specimen with blue coloring instead of red is found. Mute and uncommunicative, the creatures either lie in wait (where they are often confused for treasure, or magical artifacts) or float about aimlessly, lashing out at random with electrical power. Like Oozes, they cannot be trained (many a Wizard has tried, and suffered the massive burns associated with these attempts)- only placed in the way as obstacles. They are considered nuisances in many parts of the world (they do not truly hold any one particular habitat, and have never been seen eating), but some crafty types have used them as mobile power sources- allowing them to fire lightning into specially-made receptors to allow the energizing of mystical devices. Immune to electricity themselves, they appear to draw sustenance from electrical power- they are seen in larger numbers during powerful storms, but may live for months without eating.

-Though powerful combatants, they are physically weak and rather frail. By far the most dangerous aspect of the creatures is their tendency to explode when overly provoked- an attack that may kill the creature themselves. The explosions are actually the source of further Voltorbs- the electrical energy generated with slowly form tiny, microscopic creatures, which congeal into a younger form of the creature.

Jab's Notes: Voltorb & Electrode are classic "Filler" Pokemon, but actually have a brilliant purpose in-game- while gathering Pokeballs as items is possible, some are actually TRAPS- you are thus baited into setting off an encounter with a wild one of these creatures (which may explode if they're about to be defeated), since they are identical to Pokeballs in the in-game walk-screens. Lacking anything in the way of personality, they are utterly uninteresting, but at least serve SOME purpose because of the "Gotcha!" effect, worthy of D&D itself. They appear in the background a lot in the anime, typically as defensive measures or a nuisance- lacking much personality, they're basically Living Bombs.

-I struggled for AGES with the nature of these guys and the Magneton/Magnemite evolutions, as they are pretty much identical in game (floating electrical balls with no personality)- it literally came to me a couple of days ago that the floating faces could be a strange variety of OOZE, thus tying them into the greater world.
Jabroniville
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Magneton

Post by Jabroniville »

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MAGNETON
Role:
Floating Wizard Aide
PL 6 (62)
STRENGTH
-3 STAMINA -- AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE --

Skills:
Perception 4 (+4)
Stealth 0 (+7 Size)

Advantages:
Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative

Powers:
"Electrical Senses" Senses 4 (Detect Electrical Energy- Ranged & Acute, Low-Light Vision) [4]
"Tackle" Damage 2 [2]
Flight 2 (4 mph) [4]

"Construct" Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 4 [4]

"Electrified Touch" Electrical Aura 4 (16) -- [18]
  • AE: "Lightning Bolt" Blast 6 (Feats: Split, Accurate 3) (16)
  • AE: "Magnetism" Move Object 2 (Flaws: Limited to Ferrous Materials) (2)
"Natural Size" Shrinking 8 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [17]
(-2 Strength, -1 Speed, +4 Dodge/Parry, +8 Stealth, -4 Intimidation)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Electrified Touch +4 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Lightning Bolt +6 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +4, Fortitude --, Will --

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Magnetons cannot speak to humans, and do not possess any limbs.

Total: Abilities: -26 / Skills: 4--2 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 79 / Defenses: 4 (62)

-Similar to the Voltorbs, Magnetons have an entirely different origin- they are created by Blue Mages (Elementalists) to serve as floating, lightning-blasting Golems. Lacking personality, they are nonetheless built with large eyes at their center- more elaborate versions consist of three spheres placed together (or, cleverly, some Wizards create three Magnetons and simply have them act as one before splitting up and surrounding foes). Though occasionally powerful, these creatures are most typically used as mobile weather vanes, predicting local weather patterns and reacting in accordance with the orders of their creator. They may also act as sentries, as their appearance makes them resemble unmoving scrap metal or quirky statuary.

-Magnetons in combat tend to float around their adversaries, striking with Lightning Bolts. They are quite durable, but not master fighters.

Jab's Notes: Appearing largely unnecessary to the original game, Magnetons & Magnemites are superfluous with Voltorb & Electrode around, but hey- they had to fill 151. And they do look rather quirky and unique for this universe, appearing as one-eyed spheres with magnets attached. Given that most everything else in the game looked like a living breathing animal, seeing a CONSTRUCT was definitely something new. This also allowed them to become part of Generation II's new "Steel-Type" descriptor, as they were... well, literally made of metal. This made them the first Pokemon to ever change Type during the course of the series (something that would be replicated when the "Fairy-Type" was invented for creatures like Clefairy). They appear semi-frequently in the anime and the games, as they are great "Mook" Pokemon, and unfeeling things for bad guys and rival Gym Leaders to use. The "Rival" archetype in three games uses Magnemites, making them the most-seen for the Rival's squad.

-Many, many years after its debut, Magneton was given a third evolution- Magnezone, a floating UFO-thing.

-They seem like a natural choice for a “Clockwork” creature, but I honestly hate that part of D&D, and have striven to never use it.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Fri Jan 15, 2021 10:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Oni

Post by Jabroniville »

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ONI
Role:
Belligerent Nomads, Brutes, Variable Monsters
PL 6-9 (61)
STRENGTH
5 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+9)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 8 (+6)
Perception 5 (+5)
Stealth 3 (+3)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Startle

Powers:
"Animalistic Senses" Senses 5 (Extended & Acute Scent, Low-Light Vision, Electrical Detection- Ranged) [5]
Immunity 10 (Electrical Effects) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [5]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +5, Fortitude +7, Will +4

Complications:
Reputation (Brutes)

Total: Abilities: 24 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 10 / Defenses: 12 (61)

Variable Oni Geneology:
THICK-MUSCLED: Strength +1-5 (2-10 points)
THICK-SKINNED: Stamina +1-5, w/ Impervious 0-9 (2-19 points)
ENORMOUS: Growth 1-5 (2-10 points)
CLUB-WIELDING: Equipment 1 (Club +1-2) (1 point)
FLEET OF FEET: Speed 1-5 (1-5 points)
LEAPING ONI: Leaping 1-5 (1-5 points)
FLYING ONI: Flight 1-6 (2-12 points)
LIGHTNING-SHOOTING: Blast 4-10 (Accurate 1-4) (9-24 points)
UNUSUALLY SMART: Intelligence +1-3 (2-6 points)
UNUSUALLY CLEVER: Awareness +1-3 (2-6 points)
UNUSUALLY THOUGHTFUL: Presence +1-3 (2-6 points)
IMMORTAL: Immunity 1 (Aging) (1 point)
VITAL SPIRIT: Immunity 1 (Sleep) (1 point)

-The mysterious, little-seen Oni are inhabitants of the mountains of the island-continent of the High Elves. That such a brutish, savage race would occupy the same territory as the famously high-cultured, snobbish Elves is seen as unlikely by many, as the Elves are notorious for assaulting such races, but it is indeed true. High Elves possess the means, but not the will, to invade their mountain ranges and ferret out these creatures, as they are incredibly powerful, and tend to keep to themselves unless provoked. It's said that numerous old Generals made the fatal mistake of leading armies into the mountain territories of Oni, only to be viciously slain. The sheer damage these creatures can inflict is said to keep anyone else at bay.

-Oni are misunderstood, and often misrepresented, owing to a highly variable appearance. Some are extremely large, while others are much shorter. They can be nearly any color, tend to be either striped or wear stripes, and may or may not wield weapons. Some are so simple as to possess the brains of animals, while others are rather clever and may speak. This leads to all but the most learned scholars in their ways to make very frequent mistakes and assumptions about "The Oni Race".

-Oni tend to group together, with the strongest or smartest male in charge- strong males like to pummel others, but smart ones are seen as great leaders and providers, able to create more advanced tactics. There is a quiet agreement between them and the Elves, in which they do not invade each other's territory. Explorers in High Elf lands unaware of this (or the exact borders) are doing so at their peril.

Jab's Notes: Oni are a big part of Japanese folklore, but often misrepresented in the West, where we tend to make mistakes by associating them too much with Western monsters, saying things like "Oni are Japanese Trolls" or "Japanese Ogres" or something. I remember mentioning such a thing once, pointing out that "it's not an ogre- it's an ONI"- a wholly different creature, and someone STILL commented "but are they more Ogre or Troll?" The issue is... an Oni is kind of its own thing.

-The common stereotypes of Oni are that they are either red or blue, wearing tiger pelts, and carrying iron clubs. Brutish, uncivilized monsters, they control lightning & thunder, taking a Zeus-like occupation in Japanese folklore. They are stock villains, which helps the Oni/Troll comparisons. They were mixed with Chinese mythology and are thus said to be those charged by King Yama with punishing evildoers in death. Some are said to be invincible ("oni-ni-kanabo" is an expression meaning to be undefeatable). Numerous old expressions are linked to Oni (one who is "it" in tag is "the oni"), and they appear sometimes in anime, though in such varied forms the links aren't clear. The Pokemon Electabuzz is meant to evoke the Oni, with his tiger stripes and lightning powers. Lum in "Urusei Yatsura" (the first manga by "Ranma 1/2" creator Rumiko Takahashi), was an Oni explained away as being an alien being- her tiger-striped bikini making her one of the biggest icons in anime. Goku also encounters two Oni in Hell in "Dragon Ball Z", and must outwit them.

-Electabuzz in the Pokemon games is one that always kind of irked me- I found him rather dull and dumb-looking, and he had no Evolutions, but he was apparently supposed to be REALLY good. Subsequent games introduced his baby form, Elekid, and a more elite form, Electivire. The Pokemon was never popular in the anime, since Pikachu was always Ash's big Electric-Type- you can only find a handful in important roles for one episode. Electabuzz is based off of an Oni (sporting the tiger-striped look, horns, and lightning powers), and was a counterpart of sorts to Magmar- elemental Pokemon who evolved at Level 30, and were exclusive to one's own game (so if you got the one with Electabuzz, you wouldn't get Magmar without a trade). Electivire, at least, is one of the cooler-looking Pokemon- a yeti-gorilla-like Pokemon which is much shaggier and more ape-like than Electabuzz.
Spectrum
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Re: Castellia- A Fantasy Setting (Diglett! Voltorb! Magneton! Oni! Electabuzz!)

Post by Spectrum »

How funny! I never made that connection. Pretty cool.
We rise from the ashes so that new legends can be born.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Castellia- A Fantasy Setting (Diglett! Voltorb! Magneton! Oni! Electabuzz!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Spectrum wrote: Wed Oct 17, 2018 12:40 pm How funny! I never made that connection. Pretty cool.
It's kind of funny how ubiquitous something like Oni are in Japanese culture, but aren't really well-known over here. I think the biggest Oni-related thing in the West is the "Ogre Mage" in Dungeons & Dragons, which is only occasionally described as an Oni. The older art makes this more clear, with names like "Japanese Ogre" and horns on the fronts of their heads.

And this here does it for the Electric-Type from the first game! Since these three were big albatrosses around my neck for the Poke-builds (I REALLY didn't have a solid idea for any of them until I really put pen-to-paper, so to speak), it feels pretty good to finally be done with them.

Next up is by far the BIGGEST set of Pokemon left- I have an enormous number of Water-Type Pokemon left, as the original game had a LOT of them, and made a lot of them quite generic or lacking in personality. So it's a very large group. Here’s all the Pokemon I’ve got left:

The Fossils: Kabuto & Omanyte
The Aquatic Zubats: Tentacruel
Filler: Seel, Seaking, Lapras, Pinsir, Venonat, Arbok
The One I Kinda Liked: Cloyster
Ones I Don’t Know Wgat To Do With: Chansey, Snorlax, Kangaskhan
Psychic: Jigglypuff
The Cute One: Butterfree
KILL IT WITH FIRE: Jynx
Jabroniville
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Seaking

Post by Jabroniville »

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SEAKING
Role:
Oceanic Mind-Controller
PL 10 (132)
STRENGTH
6 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Sea Acrobatics 6 (+10)
Athletics 3 (+10)
Close Combat (Horn) 3 (+6)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 7 (+5 Size)
Perception 6 (+6)
Stealth 3 (+4 Size)

Advantages:
Diehard, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Bill)

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended & Acute Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]

"Sea Creature"
Swimming 6 (60 mph) [6]
Immunity 1 (Drowning) [1]

"Natural Size" Growth 2 (Str & Sta +2, +2 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -2 Stealth) -- (10 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [5]

"Forehead Horn"
"Spear With Horn" Strength-Damage +1 [1]
"Lightning Rod" Immunity 10 (Electrical Effects) (Flaws: Limited to After First Being Struck) [5]

"Control Water" Move Object 8 (Extras: Perception-Ranged) (Flaws: Limited to Water) (16) -- [17]
  • AE: "Water Pump" Blast 6 (Feats: Accurate 4) (Quirks: Requires Water -2) (14)
"Control Aquatic Creatures" Mind Control 10 (Extras: Area- 120-ft. Burst +3) (Flaws: Touch Range -2, Limited to Aquatic Animals) [40]

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Horn +6 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Water Pump +8 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Mind Control +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +7, Fortitude +9, Will +6

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Seakings cannot speak to humans, nor use their fins to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled- Fish require water to survive, and will die quickly if left out of it.

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 78 / Defenses: 17 (132)

-Seakings are very strange fish with mystical properties in their horns- though highly-sought-after for these magical devices (which grant the wielders similar powers), they are extremely difficult to catch or kill. Appearing to be very large goldfish, they are capable of controlling either the waters themselves, or the creatures within- Merfolk, Locathah, sharks, pinnipeds, whales- all creatures native to the water are affected by this mind control effect.

-It takes a number of years for a Seaking to grow its horn and gain mastery over its powers- they are more typically spotted in younger form, which are so much weaker and more common that many thought they were different species for years. Mature Seaking males stage elaborate "dances" using both itself and enslaved animals in order to court females. The young are so vulnerable that they are a common prey species throughout the world.

Jab's Notes: I always liked the look of Goldeen and Seaking- it's just too bad that Pokemon was STUFFED with Water-Types in that first game, making them pretty redundant. They really don't have much of an effect on the franchise, either, as Goldeen is similar in appearance and concept to Magikarp, but DOESN'T turn into a gigantic flying Sea Serpent, so it automatically appears less cool. That Goldeen & Seaking just look more like generic animals than magical Pokemon doesn't help- they kind of lack "character". The anime uses them almost like literal generic "fish", as characters have been seen catching them via fishing, and they're often seen just... swimming around... in the background of other scenes. They have almost never been seen actually battling, even though MISTY used one!

-The whole "Fish Aquaman" concept with the Animal Control just kinda struck me one day, as I was thinking about how to make Seakings unique and not just "Swordfish That Controls Water".
Jabroniville
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Kabutops

Post by Jabroniville »

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KABUTOPS
Role:
Ancient Oceanic Creature
PL 5 (52), PL 6 (52) Defenses
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+8)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 7 (+4)
Perception 5 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Diehard, Improved Critical (Scythes), Withstand Damage (Trade Defenses For Toughness)

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended & Acute Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]

"Sea Creature"
Swimming 6 (60 mph) [6]
Immunity 1 (Drowning) [1]

"Scythe-Like Limbs" Strength-Damage +3 (Feats: Split) [4]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Scythes +5 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +5, Fortitude +7, Will +4

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Kabutos cannot speak to humans, nor use their bladed forearms to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled- Kabutos require water to survive, and will die quickly if left out of it.

Total: Abilities: 14 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 14 / Defenses: 9 (52)

-Appearing almost insectoid humanoids, the human-sized Kabutops are ancient arthropods thought to pre-date almost all sentient life on Castellia- like the Aboleths, even the eldest Dragons do not remember a time without them. Now rendered incredibly rare and "obsolete" as creatures go, they are unknown to almost everyone, and thought to be extinct by most of the rest. Simple-minded and easily-led, they are sometimes seen under the leadership of a dominant, charismatic undersea leader, and their bladed forearms are known to do the talking for them.

-A Kabutops is about the size of a man, with a dense chitinous exoskeleton that is calcified to the point of resembling actual stone. They can tuck the long limbs into their shells and travel much more quickly, appearing as giant trilobites swimming as fast as many fish. They do not possess teeth, instead consuming prey by slicing them apart with their scythe-like arms, then sucking up the resulting fluids and pulped flesh. Like many ancient creatures, it has a disinctive life cycle- the "Kabuto" form is a smaller, quadrupedal, shelled creature with blank red eyes and a thick, dome-shaped covering.

Jab's Notes: The Kabuto/Kabutops line appear as the first set of "Paired Fossil Pokemon" in the series, alongside the Omanyte/Omastar line. You can pick one fossil or the other, and then it will be reactivated with life, producing a Water/Rock-Type- this means that you'll have to have a friend to select the other one in his own game, and then trade, if you want both. Neither Pokemon is overly popular, however, as they appear to have "filler" designs- Kabutops in particular greatly resembles Scyther, but that Bug-Type Pokemon looks much more bad-ass. The show doesn't focus on them much, though you'll see them occasionally as representative "Fossil Pokemon".

-The Kabutops looks mostly like a bipedal trilobite- an iconic ancient aquatic creature treated as one of the big representatives of the Permian Era. The Kabuto is more similar to a horseshoe crab- an ancient-looking creature that hasn't changed in millennia, and is related to the trilobites. "Kabutogani" is literally what horseshoe crabs are called in Japan.

-Curiously, despite being a Rock-Type, it only has a single Rock-Type move by gaining experience. It's not a very solid mix of types, though- they are catastrophically weak to Grass-Type attacks, and also poor against Ground, Fighting and Electric.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Fri Feb 15, 2019 10:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Re: Castellia- A Fantasy Setting (Voltorb! Magneton! Oni! Electabuzz! Seaking!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Lol- Jesus Christ- this is why I never play Pokemon competitively: https://www.smogon.com/dex/sm/pokemon/kabutops/

Criminy, I can’t even follow all of this. What a staggeringly complex game.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Omanyte

Post by Jabroniville »

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OMANYTE
Role:
Ancient Oceanic Creature
PL 5 (71)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 6 (+3)
Perception 6 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Mud Shot) 5 (+5)
Stealth 5 (+5)

Advantages:
Benefit (Ambidextrous), Close Attack, Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Withstand Damage (Trade Defenses For Toughness)

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 6 (Extended & Acute Scent, Low-Light Vision, Radius Ranged Touch) [6]
"Ten Limbs" Extra Limbs 6 [6]
"Eternally Waiting" Immunity 2 (Starvation, Aging) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [1]

"Hard Shell"
Impervious Toughness 5 [5]
Immunity 1 (Pressure) [1]

"Sea Creature"
Swimming 3 (8 mph) [3]
Immunity 1 (Drowning) [1]

"Mud Shot" Dazzle Visuals 5 (Diminished Range -2) (8) -- [9]
  • AE: "Hard Beak" Strength-Damage +2 (Extras: Penetrating 6) (8)
Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Beak +5 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +3 (DC 13), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +6, Fortitude +6, Will +4

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Omanytes cannot speak to humans, nor use their bladed forearms to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled- Omanytes require water to survive, and will die quickly if left out of it.

Total: Abilities: 12 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 32 / Defenses: 7 (71)

-Similar to the Kabutops and Aboleth, the Omanytes have been around for so long that nothing alive can remember a time before them. They are extremely long-lived creatures that can go centuries without eating, resembling the most ancient form of molluscs (which include octopi, squid and snails). About man-sized, they site for an eternity on the ocean's floor, waiting for prey to pass by. Their extraordinary senses allow them to detect prey even in total darkness- it's believed that their skin is incredibly sensitive to the changing of water pressure, allowing them to target prey of any size. Their numerous limbs have an incredible grip, which draws prey towards their four-pronged beak. They are slow swimmers by the standards of other underwater creatures, being able to move only by expelling pressurized air stored within their shells.

Jab's Notes: The sister Pokemon to Kabuto/Kabutops, Omanyte/Omastar are pretty generic-looking, being "Normal animal with odd color scheme" as far as design goes. Omanyte looks like an ammonite, albeit with its arms splayed out all cutely, while Omastar is a more bad-ass version of that, with a four-pronged beak and spikes on the shell. Ammonites are ridiculously common as fossils go, to the point where they're casually sold as fairly cheap jewelry- albeit, these are usually tiny specimens, while the biggest could hit six feet in diameter!

-Omanyte & Omastar show up less often than the other Fossil Pokemon from what I've seen, and typically only take background roles. Debuting alongside Kabuto in the anime, they have fewer solitary appearances. The two resemble each other greatly- it's one of many Pokemon whose evolution was more or less a "well... let's just add size and flair to it" and they called it a day. Which, combined with the fairly generic nature of the appearance, is possibly why this one never took off. Nonetheless, these things are sometimes the more interesting Pokemon to stat, as you have to come up with unique bits- I left in the accuracy-lowering Mud Shot ability from the game.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Seel, etc.

Post by Jabroniville »

ICE-POWERED UNDERSEA CREATURES:
-The Grimsvell region of Castellia is home to many large creatures empowered by Ice Magic, and some of the most rarely seen are aquatic. The Frost Giants and humans who inhabit the region know of them, and often seek them out as great prizes (bragging rights are afforded to those who catch one), but the great power of the beasts makes them difficult to catch. One of the most reliable methods of snaring one is to take advantage of their one weakness- Lightning-based powers. An Elemental Wizard with the right spells can make a mission much easier, though they themselves will charge great amounts for taking part on hunting missions.

-The following three creatures are all mammals, and all are highly-prized- the bigger the better.

Jab's Notes: I was going to do the usual thing and just stat up one of these guys, but simply adding Ice Powers to an existing animal template is pretty easy, so I can stat up both of the following Pokemon Evolutions, plus one from a later game. Ice-Type Pokemon are actually rather potent in the game, as it causes some high-end damage to creatures, but for the most part it's treated as big because you usually don't get any Ice-Type powers until MUCH later, so they're associated with strong, high-level Pokemon.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Glacier Seal

Post by Jabroniville »

ImageImage

GLACIER SEAL
Role:
Ice-Powered Seal
PL 5 (28)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Sea Acrobatics 3 (+6)
Athletics 6 (+7)
Expertise (Survival) 5 (+5)
Perception 5 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Ice Powers) 4 (+4)
Stealth 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Favored Environment (Water)

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Seal Bite" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

"Sea Creature"
Swimming 5 (16 mph) [5]
Immunity 2 (Cold, Drowning) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [1]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Arctic) [2]

"Ice Type" Immunity 10 (Ice Effects) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [5]

"Icy Wind" Blast 6 Linked to Affliction 6 (Fort; Hindered/Exhausted) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (24) -- [27]
  • AE: "Ice Shard" Blast 5 (Feats: Accurate) & Enhanced Advantage: Improved Initiative 2 (13)
  • AE: "Hail" Environment 2 (60 feet) (Impede Movement, Visibility, Cold 2) Linked to Damage 4 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (16)
Offense:
Unarmed +2 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Bite +2 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
In Water +4 (+1-2 Damage, DC 16-17)
Icy Wind +4 (+6 Ranged Damage & Affliction, DC 21 & 16)
Hail +4 Area (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Ice Shard +4 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +3 (DC 13), Parry +4 (DC 14) (+7/+6 In Water), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +2

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Seals cannot speak to humans, nor use their flippers to easily manipulate objects.
Vulnerable (Electricity)- Lightning-based powers do extra damage to ice-based aquatic creatures.

Total: Abilities: 10 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 41 / Defenses: 4 (62)

-Glacier Seals are related to smaller seal species such as Harbor Seals, but are empowered by ley lines with great ice-based abilities. Though small, they are powerful, and will prove difficult for even a wily hunter to catch. They are typically solitary creatures, and their white flesh makes them very difficult to spot in the Northern waters- though Glacier Walruses are more difficult to capture, they are more easily spotted and thus more likely to be actually hunted. Glacier Seals are typically only taken when they come to dry land in order to mate and give birth- they form massive igloo-like structures out of their ice powers, which may lure in hunters.

Jab's Notes: Among the most thoughtless, "meh, let's just slap one tiny thing on an existing animal" Pokemon in the Original 151 is Seel, which is basically just a cartoony seal with a tiny horn on its head. Both it and Dewgong even use the basic names of actual animals- they just SPELL them differently! Evolving into Dewgong at Level 34, it's one of the more low-tier Water/Ice-Types you can get in the game. They very rarely appear in the anime (Misty's sisters care for several, who simply say "Seel!" in a seal-like manner), and aren't a big part of later games.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Glacier Walrus

Post by Jabroniville »

ImageImage

GLACIER WALRUS
Role:
Powerful Arctic Giant
PL 8 (100)
STRENGTH
7 STAMINA 6 AGILITY -1
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 1 (+8)
Close Combat (Tusks) 2 (+7)
Expertise (Survival) 3 (+3)
Intimidation 9 (+8 Size)
Perception 3 (+3)
Ranged Combat (Ice) 8 (+8)

Advantages:
Favored Environment (Water), Improved Critical (Tusks)

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Tusks" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

"Sea Creature"
Swimming 5 (16 mph) [5]
"Thick Fat" Immunity 7 (Cold, Drowning, Fire Damage) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [4]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Arctic) [2]

"Natural Size" Growth 3 (Str & Sta +3, +3 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -3 Stealth) -- (12 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [7]
"Thick Blubber" Protection 2 [2]
"Ice Type" Immunity 10 (Ice Effects) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [5]

"Aurora Beam" Blast 8 Linked to Weaken Combat Skills 8 (Extras: Ranged) (32) -- [36]
  • AE: "Icy Wind" Blast 8 Linked to Affliction 8 (Fort; Hindered/Exhausted) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (32)
  • AE: "Ice Shard" Blast 6 (Feats: Accurate) & Enhanced Advantage: Improved Initiative 2 (15)
  • AE: "Hail" Environment 2 (60 feet) (Impede Movement, Visibility, Cold 2) Linked to Damage 6 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (20)
  • AE: "Ice Fang" Blast 9 (Inaccurate -1) Linked to Snare 8 (Flaws: 25% Chance of Working -2) (Dim. Range -1) (27)
Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Tusks +7 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
In Water +5/+7 (+7/+8 Damage, DC 22-23)
Icy Wind +8 (+8 Ranged Damage & Affliction, DC 23 & 18)
Hail +6 Area (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Ice Shard +10 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Ice Fang +7 (+9 Ranged Damage & Affliction 8, DC 24 & 18)
Initiative -1

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +5 (DC 15) (+6/+7 In Water), Toughness +8, Fortitude +8, Will +5

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Walruses cannot speak to humans, nor use their flippers to easily manipulate objects.
Responsibility (Duelling)- Walrus Males duel and posture for mating rights. These contests involve many stab wounds, but are rarely fatal- the older ones have numerous scars.
Vulnerable (Electricity)- Lightning-based powers do extra damage to ice-based aquatic creatures.

Total: Abilities: 8 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 65 / Defenses: 12 (100)

-Glacier Walruses are either pure white, or strangely blue compared to regular walruses, making them stand out from their more normal cousins. Mutated by ley line proximity the same way Glacier Seals are, they are among the mightiest mammals in the oceans, being dangerous enough to fend of killer whales or polar bears with ease. A fully-ornate skull of one of these creatures is considered a massive way of getting bragging rights by the Frost Giants, and so frequent attempts at these pinnipeds are made.

-Walruses are normally formed in herds, and these creatures are no exception, but the groups tend to be much smaller, as they are not only rarer, but slower both to age and to breed. Their breath weapons are highly powerful, and can both damage enemies and freeze them in place, which can leave many creatures to drown.

Jab's Notes: Walrein is a Pokemon of tremendous frustration for me, as it represents the Ice Gym Leader of the Final Four in "Pokemon Ruby", which is where I basically halted my forward momentum in that game. While I was good enough to keep going for most of it, I really lacked the experience to move further- I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE Level Grinding in RPGs, so I'm usually left trying to use skill and "type advantages" to get ahead. While this usually does okay for some Gym Leaders (most of whom stick to one type), the Ice Leader stymied me completely. See, it'd been years since I played the game (I'd stopped right before the last island years back), but I used my best Pokemon to invade the Final Four. HOWEVER... I could no longer remember of the top of my head how to take out Ice-Types reliably. This was problematic when I got a severe drubbing... and got WORSE when I actually "cheated" and used the Legendary Pokemon GROUDON in my team- Groudon is so high-level he should be able to trounce any opposition... but his Fire/Ground set-up was the EXACT OPPOSITE that would be effective against an Ice-Type. And so even GROUDON lost the fight!

-It was only later that I checked online and was like "oh, duh- Electric-Type". The unfortunate thing? Despite making inroads at building up Plusle or Minun as my top Electric-Type, I'd largely ignored it as a thing, leaving it a gaping hole in my strategy. My other Pokemon with favorable types against it (Tropius & Aggron) were themselves weak to either Water or Ice-Type attacks, and thus weren't effective. And so I kind of got frustrated with having to Level Grind SOME MORE in order to build up my team, which led to me eventually just dropping the game again. So screw you, Walrein.

-Walrein's Evolutionary line is a bit funny, because it so clearly evokes the Seel/Dewgong line, but almost appears like a "mulligan", replacing the simple all-white Pokemon with more colorful creatures. Spheal is so similar to "Seel" I'm shocked they went with that name, and the upgraded forms (Sealeo- a Sea Lion with a mustache, is the intermediate evolution) are more impressive as well. The characters have never been particularly frequent in the anime.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Frost Sirenian

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

FROST SIRENIAN
Role:
Huge Peaceful Sea Creature
PL 8 (113)
STRENGTH
7 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+8)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 10 (+10 Size)
Perception 3 (+3)
Ranged Combat (Ice) 8 (+8)
Stealth 4 (-4 Size)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Fast Grab, Favored Environment (Water), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Hold, Startle

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]

"Sea Creature"
Swimming 5 (16 mph) [5]
Immunity 7 (Cold, Drowning, Fire Damage) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [4]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Arctic) [2]

"Natural Size" Growth 6 (Str & Sta +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (21 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [13]
Strength-Damage +1 [1]
"Thick Blubber" Protection 2 [2]

"Aurora Beam" Blast 8 Linked to Weaken Combat Skills 8 (Extras: Ranged) (32) -- [36]
  • AE: "Icy Wind" Blast 8 Linked to Affliction 8 (Fort; Hindered/Exhausted) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (32)
  • AE: "Ice Shard" Blast 6 (Feats: Accurate) & Enhanced Advantage: Improved Initiative 2 (15)
  • AE: "Hail" Environment 2 (60 feet) (Impede Movement, Visibility, Cold 2) Linked to Damage 6 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (20)
  • AE: "Ice Fang" Blast 9 (Inaccurate -1) Linked to Snare 8 (Flaws: 25% Chance of Working -2) (Dim. Range -1) (27)
Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
In Water +9 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Icy Wind +8 (+8 Ranged Damage & Affliction, DC 23 & 18)
Hail +6 Area (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Ice Shard +10 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Ice Fang +7 (+9 Ranged Damage & Affliction 8, DC 24 & 18)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16) (+7/+8 In Water), Toughness +9, Fortitude +10, Will +6

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Elephant Seals cannot speak to humans, nor use their flippers to easily manipulate objects.
Responsibility (Duelling)- Elephant Seal Males duel and posture for mating rights. The older males possess many scars from these brutal contests.

Total: Abilities: 2 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 66 / Defenses: 21 (113)

-Frost Dugongs are similar enough to Glacier Seals that many mistake them for close relations (or being an older version), as both have the trademark horn on the head, but they are not. These Sirenians are instead related to the mostly-harmless Manatees and Dugongs, but are MUCH larger, and magically-powered, similar to the Glacier Walrus, though it is not a pinniped. They are also much faster and more graceful than other Sirenians, attaining speed equivalent to the best underwater predators. Despite that, they are primarily eaters of vegetation, like other species in their group. There is a pronounced lack of such material in the far north, save for permafrost kelp and other unusual materials that only grow in arctic waters.

Jab's Notes: Dewgong is the evolved version of Seel, but body-wise, resembles the Sirenians for which it is named. However, the face is more "classic pinniped". The size is similar to a man's, but the most famous of the extinct Sirenians was the Steller's Sea Cow, which was upwards of THIRTY FEET LONG. Among the more shockingly-huge specimens in the British Museum of Natural History was one of those- nothing like seeing a frickin' manatee three times the length of your own body.

-Dewgong, like Seel, was largely ignored in the anime series, being seen even less often.
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