Wanted Battle System Change: Fifth, Limit-Break/Final Smash-type Skill?

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Zeta

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This is something I've been thinking of for a while that I thought would make the battle system a little more fun.

"Limit Breaks" for Pokemon. It's a common idea in JRPGs for each character to have a super-powerful skill unique to them that isn't readily accessible.

Basically, every evolutionary line would have a really powerful fifth skill that would need to be charged up via doing damage, taking damage, or just spending turns. They would all be unique to that evolution family and unchangable.

The Chansey line would have a Limit that heals all of your party's Pokemon. The Eevee line would have a powerful attack that changes based on the User's type (like a mini version of Judgement). The starters would have a really powerful elemental attack. The Snowrunt line would have an Ice-attack that is certain to inflict the Freeze status. The Pikachu line would have a powered-up version of Volt Tackle. Etc. Etc.

Basically, think of each Pokemon having two abilities - one passive, and one that can be activated in battle after a meter has been filled.

This could, among other things, help underpowered Pokemon by giving them really powerful Limit moves. It would also allow people to diversify movesets a little more because you'd always for sure have one great skill to fall back on.

Basically, built-in Signiture moves for everyone.
 
Zeta said:
This could, among other things, help underpowered Pokemon by giving them really powerful Limit moves.
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I see pokemon like Gyarados getting powerful "limit moves", not Raticates.
 
Pokemon is not meant to play like other JRPGs.

Stuff like Limit Breaks, Real-Time Combat, and equipment just wouldn't fit into place with the Pokemon Battle System. Maybe I can see a spin-off that features this, but I don't want any JRPG cliches in my Mainstream Pokemon.
 
Um. No. This would unbalance EVERYTHING.
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Yeah, god knows we wouldn't want any changes or developments in the game. Keep on making the exact same game for 20 years, plz!

And adding those Abilities in 3rd gen totally ruined the gameplay!
JRPG cliches in my Mainstream Pokemon.
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You mean aside from the character designs, item system, plot, turn-based battle cliches and the like?
 
While this feature would be a major (and maybe even necessary) improvement for the series, it can break the game. As you said, it might help underused Pokémon to shine, but on the other side, think of Pokémon like Gyarados or Garchomp, that would be broken. A move that 100% freezes the foe? That is broken indeed. But the general idea is very cool and if done right and balanced, I'd gladly appreciate it.
 
Limit Breaks work incredibly well in most JRPGs, but what makes Pokémon different from most other JRPGs is that it's huge stress on the mutliplayer aspect.

It really depends on how it's implimented. It's very easy to come up with a limit break that's very broken, as with Wobbuffet's ability. It could be limited on how often it's used in a battle though.
 
I realize that quite a lot of the battle system would have to be rebalanced around this mechanic, but there's been a need to revamp a lot of the battle system mechanics for about 10 years now, anyways, and this seems like it would be a good starting place.
It could be limited on how often it's used in a battle though.
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In most RPGs, a limit break skill isn't usuable really more than once per battle, if that, even - so it'd probably be of a similar frequency.
As you said, it might help underused Pokémon to shine, but on the other side, think of Pokémon like Gyarados or Garchomp, that would be broken.
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I would imagine that the more powerful/uber Pokemon would get less impressive Limit Breaks. IE - Gyarados might just get a more powerful version of Mean Look/Scary Face while Raticate would have something like "Temporarily Multiples into swaming rat hoarde" and then a large boost to it's stats for 3 turns. That sort of thing.
 
I like this idea, and mine is similar to it.
Rather than the Pokemon themselves having the ability, the trainer would.
But every trainer having a magical superpower would be kind of lame, right?
SO LET'S USE SPELLCARDS. Or pins*, or something. I haven't thought out the item itself out that much...
*If we're stealing TWEWY's overworld style, might as well steal their pin gimmick too! Oh boy, I do loves me some plagiarism!

They would be limited to three: a basic card, like a simple boost (tertiary). A field card that would either hinder the opponent or help you (secondary) and a final move that can either do damage or grant you a significant boost for a certain number of turns (primary). The cards are collectible, but can only be changed at certain intervals and every x days. Of course, some of the more broken cards would be limited to in-game trainers for an added challenge.

tl;dr: LET'S GET THE TCG UP IN THIS BITCH
 
Being able to customize the trainer with effects that help out his Pokemon (IE - +Damage to Water-type attacks, Resist Damage from Fire-type attacks, Increased Chance of Critical Hits) is another good idea, I think.
 
CypherFDP said:
Um. No. This would unbalance EVERYTHING.
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Pokemon has never been balenced, so stop saying stuff that you do not know about. Is a Garchomp and Dragonite the same? They should be according to balence issues, since both are dragons that evolve to their state at level 55. Pokemon is not the game of balence. Yugioh TCG/OCG is.
 
This would be interesting, but is already somewhat covered by some of the powerful moves in the game. I don't really think you can get much stronger than say Draco-meter without breaking the strategy aspect of the game.
That being said, there are certainly ways it could be better implemented.
 
cohenmarioman said:
Pokemon has never been balenced, so stop saying stuff that you do not know about. Is a Garchomp and Dragonite the same? They should be according to balence issues, since both are dragons that evolve to their state at level 55. Pokemon is not the game of balence.
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I believe you need to re-read.

http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Garchomp_(Pokémon)

Dragonite is part flying. Garchomp is part ground. The only similarity is that they share the dragon type.

Also, Pokemon needs balance to stop some Pokemon from going OTT and being all powerful. Some Legendaries are a slight exception to that rule, admittedly. If there was no balance, the dark type wouldn't even be existant, and Psychic types would still pretty much dominate battles, with only steel types being of some resistance.

While I'm on the subject, a limit-break style move for Pokemon would be kinda lame. Abilities like Torrent & Blaze are already in place, and X-Attacks and the like are already existent. They wouldn't be very useful, and would break Pokemon's traditonal battle dynamic. "Why fix what isn't broken" applies here, I'd say.
 
Maybe if a further requirement is the Pokémon's health to fall below 10%, that way, it will be like the Pokémon musters it's strength into one final attack, which you get in a lot of anime etcs. But then, we already have Overgrow, Blaze, Torrent and Swarm for that.
 
Ryu Shoji said:
Maybe if a further requirement is the Pokémon's health to fall below 10%, that way, it will be like the Pokémon musters it's strength into one final attack, which you get in a lot of anime etcs. But then, we already have Overgrow, Blaze, Torrent and Swarm for that.
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I think if a pokemon's health falls below 5% of it's total health, it's stats temporarily improve by 1/5 of their total for the next 5 turns would be a neat way of creating a "limit" break effect of gameplay without adding too much to the current battle system. Could also add some more tactics to the battle and give incent to keep pokemon's health low in battle for the stat boost. Also gives an incentive to train up your Pokemon. The stronger the Pokemon, the stronger the stat boost.
 
Versus said:
I believe you need to re-read.

http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Garchomp_(Pokémon)

Dragonite is part flying. Garchomp is part ground. The only similarity is that they share the dragon type.

Also, Pokemon needs balance to stop some Pokemon from going OTT and being all powerful. Some Legendaries are a slight exception to that rule, admittedly. If there was no balance, the dark type wouldn't even be existant, and Psychic types would still pretty much dominate battles, with only steel types being of some resistance.

While I'm on the subject, a limit-break style move for Pokemon would be kinda lame. Abilities like Torrent & Blaze are already in place, and X-Attacks and the like are already existent. They wouldn't be very useful, and would break Pokemon's traditonal battle dynamic. "Why fix what isn't broken" applies here, I'd say.
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I know that, but that one difference is not what makes one better than the other. It is how much better Garchomps stats are. For it to be balenced, they would have to have similar stats, since both require the same work to level up. That is why Pokemon is not about balence, but picking the right Pokemon.
 
No thanks. Don't care for it.

Maybe the system needs a revamp. But I don't want a revamp that follows these suggestions.
 
I actually came up with a similar concept myself that does work in the Pokemon battle style, and brings the game a little closer to the anime and manga.

Trainer effects.

Certain actions by the trainer can help turn the tide of battle. And since the difference between good and bad trainers in the Pokeverse seems to revolve around how whether you befriend your Pokemon or use them, there could be two classes of Trainer effects along those lines. The "friendship" effects could raise happiness and have longer lasting effects, where as "tool" effects would raise stats more but for a shorter time and at a cost of some happiness.

It could also work as part of a sliding reputation scale, where your reputation around the region shifts as you gain points through the use of various trainer effects and the selection of various actions in different scenarios.
 
I really like your ideas when it comes to how a limit break would be incorporated into the system. We really need something to mix up the formula so that the line between OU and UU is blurred. This could be just the thing to do it. However, it would have to be thought out and balanced extremely well to work, otherwise it could just give the game unnecessary issues.
I'm sure that if it was done that gamefreak would do it right though. The whole ability system was planned out very well and I'm sure they would handle this with just as much, if not more care.
 
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