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Pokemon language gadget; Has title
Topic Started: Feb 24 2016, 11:10 PM (866 Views)
Yama_no_Okami_1
Pokémon Trainer
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Recently in one of the campaigns that had a player asked if he could create a gadget or something that allows the pokemon that wearing it to communicate in human language or a human wearing it to understand the pokemon, at first I said that no such thing was possible but I was wondering if any GM had come up with a way to do it.
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Doxy
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The PTU Guy
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That sounds tedious. Everyone is going to want one for their Pokemon and it'll turn into a big PITA. I do not recommend allowing something like that unless you can find a way to justify keeping it to just like, ONE Pokemon.
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Yama_no_Okami_1
Pokémon Trainer
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At first I was thinking that if someone wanted to make at least 1 he'll have to:
- Work on it at least 6 months
- Pay a very high cuota for components (around 350,000 P - maybe)
- Have Tech Edu, Pok Edu and Focus or Perception at master rank
- Have the Researcher Class


This wouldn't be for a small portable gadget, it'll be for a technically large box-like thing (like an old pc monitor)
Edited by Yama_no_Okami_1, Feb 24 2016, 11:25 PM.
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Blackskull
Pokémon Trainer
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I did this in a campaign, I used the Datajack from upgrader and linked it to a radio with some clever software. this allowed me to communicate with my Pokemon over long distances and even get visuals.

However it did blow my cover once or twice as my comlines did get jammed, also it was useless with trying to communicate with Wild pokemon


Still was useful for scouting
Edited by Blackskull, Feb 26 2016, 04:53 AM.
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FanaticRat
Pokémon Trainer
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Stuff like this can be fun--I'm running a campaign where all the pokemon talk, even, and it leads to some interesting moments--but as Doxy said it can be tedious. You've essentially added another NPC you have to describe, and if everyone gets one then they all also have NPCs and it can get out of hand if you're not careful or know what you're in for.

If you do this (and only if--this will make your workload much harder as a GM and you are well within your rights to say no), make it a hard limit, not a soft one through prohibitively exclusive requirements. Tell them OOC you only get one with one pokemon and it can't be transferred. After that you can come up with the reason--maybe it requires such a deep neural implantation or psychic link that it's dangerous or impossible to change it after it's been made, and that's on both the trainer and the pokemon side or something. You will be able to discuss it or figure it out, but make sure tha the hard rule comes first then the extraneous fluff second.
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Grand Silver
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2 kewl 4 u!
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I limit it to only psychic types can talk or in one case a Rotom that has taken to living in the pokedex of a party member and using a text to speech program.
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rlrichey
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Rival
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If your Pokémon are sentient enough to have a "language" that supports meaningful dialogue beyond "Me want food" or "Me go poop," it would probably be unethical to be enslaving them in portable devices and forcing them to battle. Maybe it's just my personal GMing style, but Pokémon generally fall below an intelligence threshold that is conducive to language and dialogue, and for good reason.

Then again, there's Team Rocket's Meowth, which is totally autonomous. It understands the common language, but it also frequently expresses disdain for its "trainers," regularly attacks them, and won't even follow the most basic of their commands. Hmm...

Otherwise, some variant of Channeler (or an object that replicates it) is pretty well within the rules.
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The Sneaky Prinny
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Optional Bonus Boss
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rlrichey
Feb 26 2016, 12:57 PM
If your Pokémon are sentient enough to have a "language" that supports meaningful dialogue beyond "Me want food" or "Me go poop," it would probably be unethical to be enslaving them in portable devices and forcing them to battle. Maybe it's just my personal GMing style, but Pokémon generally fall below an intelligence threshold that is conducive to language and dialogue, and for good reason.

Then again, there's Team Rocket's Meowth, which is totally autonomous. It understands the common language, but it also frequently expresses disdain for its "trainers," regularly attacks them, and won't even follow the most basic of their commands. Hmm...
This raises both an important point to consider, and a secondary reason for the limitation and expense. It isn't just as easy as giving the Pokemon a microphone, or even attaching one with an expensive surgical procedure directly to the Pokemon's brain. You would either need to fundamentally upgrade the pokemon's brain to full sentience, or else create a massively complicated computer that essentially interprets the Pokemon's basic thoughts or emotions into something you can reason with, with the knowledge that you aren't really letting your Pokemon talk, but that you installed an empathetic Microsoft Sam in your Pokemon.

Going by the sentience route, A newly sentient Pokemon is quite likely to open up dialogue on renegotiating the terms and conditions of its use, if it even agrees to follow you anymore. Pokeballs are likely to be right out, and while they may or may not be as cynical as Team Rocket's Meowth, you can expect similar disdain for orders. The Pokemon doesn't "need" you anymore, and it knows it. The mutual benefit from your relationship is now over, meaning you are going to have to bring more to the bargaining table than being a good trainer and leader. This applies double to any large, powerful Pokemon, who could quite easily go obtain super-dominance over territory with its new-found intellect instead of follow some kid around who is trying to get eight bits of metal.
Pokemon like Meowth follow humans because they want to, and they really mast be treated as unusual humans. Look at the social dynamic of Team Rocket. Meowth is on roughly similar footing as Jessie and James. His slightly lower dominance in that group is entirely related to his battle power, which is virtually nonexistent, though that doesn't stop him from getting his way with the occasional application of Fury Swipes. If your recently boosted is, say, an Aggron, you might have to accept the fact that Aggron carries a rather high level of authority, or even act as the new leader as its thoughts and opinions are going to be reinforced by a half-ton of metal dinosaur capable of suplexing everyone else to death on a whim, probably at the same time.

Plus, as noted, you are doubling the number of characters you need to keep track of in a system already 4X weak to getting bogged down and stalled by too many players. If one of your players decides they are going to have both sides of a debate over something, expect the handhelds and books to come out.
Edited by The Sneaky Prinny, Feb 26 2016, 01:52 PM.
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moorg
Poképirate
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Haven't I seen one of these before?.....

Posted Image
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