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Ghost Death
Topic Started: Oct 22 2016, 10:01 PM (1,005 Views)
zan
Pokémon Trainer
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What happens when a Ghost pokemon reaches -200% health what happens? Or what do you do?
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Kairose
Pokémon Trainer
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as far as the rules are concerned, they die like any other pokémon, effectively removed from the game forever.

However, this doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. It hasn't come up in my games since I prefer to play "low death" games where you don't die from damage unless the attacker was trying to kill you, and fainted targets are not hit by any attack that the attacker does not intend to kill, when a non-ghost dies, they would become type-shifted to ghost. When a dual-typed ghost dies, they would lose their non-ghost type. Mono-ghost pokémon would be immune to death.
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moorg
Poképirate
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Interesting question.

Mechanically the same as death, but technically banished to the underworld, would be the way I go.
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Isaac Zephyr
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I think there's a fundamental difference between a ghost, and a ghost type Pokemon.

Look at a ghost in the games, Cubone's mother in Lavender tower. That was a true ghost, it couldn't be caught, and in battle it retained it's normal typing of mono Ground.

Ghost Pokemon I believe are just that. Pokemon. Who have developed traits that have them identified as ghosts. Immunity to normal attacks, incorporeal, etc. The only evidence they come from the death of anything is their Pokedex entries, though as can be pointed out, some of them are impossible.

So the Pokedex becomes less a scientific tool and more one collecting what data has been found, which can be speculation at best, superstition at worst. The core book even put this statement in to support that.

"Ghost Type Pokémon are not given much of an explanation in the main franchise, and we don’t take a stance on their nature in PTU either. Simply put, they may be impressions left by the memories of the departed, the literal souls of the dead, or simply creatures closely associated with death. It’s up to the GM."

If as the GM, you want to have Pokemon be the literal souls of the dead, Pokemon or otherwise, it's your prerogative. Otherwise, any Pokemon dying should be just that, a Pokemon dying, regardless of their type.
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GrayGriffin
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"Ah, you unmasked me. Whatever shall I do."
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Kairose
Oct 22 2016, 11:03 PM
as far as the rules are concerned, they die like any other pokémon, effectively removed from the game forever.<br /><br />However, this doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. It hasn't come up in my games since I prefer to play "low death" games where you don't die from damage unless the attacker was trying to kill you, and fainted targets are not hit by any attack that the attacker does not intend to kill, when a non-ghost dies, they would become type-shifted to ghost. When a dual-typed ghost dies, they would lose their non-ghost type. Mono-ghost pokémon would be immune to death.
Um...that's explicitly in the rules. Pokemon can pull their punches to not kill at -200%.
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milo v3
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Kairose
Oct 22 2016, 11:03 PM
as far as the rules are concerned, they die like any other pokémon, effectively removed from the game forever.

However, this doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. It hasn't come up in my games since I prefer to play "low death" games where you don't die from damage unless the attacker was trying to kill you, and fainted targets are not hit by any attack that the attacker does not intend to kill, when a non-ghost dies, they would become type-shifted to ghost. When a dual-typed ghost dies, they would lose their non-ghost type. Mono-ghost pokémon would be immune to death.
Your setting must be ridiculously full of ghost types simply as a result of how many pokemon would have died throughout history.
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Kairose
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GrayGriffin
Oct 23 2016, 08:22 PM
Kairose
Oct 22 2016, 11:03 PM
(self-quote)
Um...that's explicitly in the rules. Pokemon can pull their punches to not kill at -200%.
It used to not be, and I never remember which parts got fixed if they're not being used.

milo v3
Oct 23 2016, 08:45 PM
Kairose
Oct 22 2016, 11:03 PM
(self-quote)
Your setting must be ridiculously full of ghost types simply as a result of how many pokemon would have died throughout history.
This only applies to pokemon that die in combat. If a pokemon dies of old age or illness, it doesn't become a ghost. And if it ever became relevant, I'd have some way to "purify" ghost pokémon so that they can rest in peace when their time comes.
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TimerThyme
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OverGMing
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As i put it in my game, ghost pokemons are pokemons that died through an horrible death, remaining on earth because of their anger.

As the same way they handle it in Roman or Greece fables, either you die with anger and becomes a ghost (in fact, a lot of the ghost pokemon pokedex entries relates than they are always angered) or you get put in a "world of the dead" dimension. It opens up to a lot of opportunities to save a dead pokemon if your world is in the fantasy theme.
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Eisen
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Ghost-type Pokémon don't die. They discorporate.

Mechanically, there's no difference. It is, however, sufficient to quell any cries of "verisimilitude."
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OniLink64
Pokémon Trainer
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I would say that entirely depends on which interpretation of Ghost-types you are running with. The two that I generally use are

1. They are merely animals the same way as any other Pokemon, they just have abilities that make them resemble ghosts. They may or may not feed on spiritual energy as well. With this they die just like any other Pokemon.

2. They are just straight up ghosts. In this case I would flavor it as either they go to the underworld or alternatively they lose too much energy and can no longer tether themselves to this world.
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