Movement and Positioning
Pokémon Tabletop United uses a square combat grid. However, it is a simple matter to treat distances and movement abstractly if you don’t wish to use a map.
A combatant’s footprint on a grid is determined by their Size. Small and Medium combatants take up a 1x1 meter square. Large is 2x2, Huge is 3x3, and Gigantic is 4x4, but you may choose to use other shapes for Pokémon that have different body shapes such as serpents. As a rough guideline, create the new shape to be roughly the same number of total squares as the default shape.
For example, a Steelix (Gigantic) might be 8x2 meters, twisting into different shapes as it moves on the map. An Aerodactyl (Huge) is probably 2x4 due to its wide wingspan.
Movement is done with Shift Actions in combat. You can move a number of squares with a single Shift Action equal to the value of your relevant Movement Capability. When using multiple different Movement Capabilities in one turn, such as using Overland on a beach and then Swim in the water, average the Capabilities and use that value. For example, if a Pokémon has Overland 7 and Swim 5, they can shift a maximum of 6 meters on a turn that they use both Capabilities. You may not split up a Shift Action. That is, you cannot move a few squares, take a Standard Action, and then continue moving.
Using Jump Capabilities consumes distance from the main Capability used to Shift, such as Overland., or can be used as a whole Shift Action by itself.
Diagonal movement is simple. The first square you move diagonally in a turn counts as 1 meter. The second counts as 2 meters. The third counts as 1 meter again. And so on and so forth.
Two combatants are Adjacent to one another if any squares they occupy touch each other, even if only the corners touch, as with diagonal squares. Cardinally Adjacent, however, does not count diagonal squares.
There are two Conditions that affect movement.
Stuck means you cannot Shift at all, though you may still use your Shift Action for other effects such as activating Features. Slowed means your movement speed is halved.
FLANKING It is difficult to fight when beset upon from all sides by enemies. When a combatant is Flanked by foes, they take a -2 penalty to their Evasion. A Small or Medium sized Trainer or Pokémon is considered Flanked when at least two foes are adjacent to them but not adjacent to each other. For Large Trainers and Pokémon, the requirement is three foes meeting those conditions. The requirement increases to four for Huge and five for Gigantic sized combatants. Foes larger than Medium may occupy multiple squares – in this case, they count as a number of foes for the purposes of Flanking equal to the number of squares adjacent to the Flanked target that they’re occupying. However, a single combatant cannot Flank by itself, no matter how many adjacent squares they’re occupying; a minimum of two combatants is required to Flank someone. Here are some visual aids to help demonstrate this concept.
ABSTRACTED COMBAT DISTANCES If you’d rather not use a map for battles, don’t fret. Abstracting distances is easy if you follow a few guidelines and use proper descriptions of the battlefield. 1. Separate the battlefield into rough zones to help determine movement ranges. For instance, an indoor battle separated into a foyer area, a grand staircase at the far end of the foyer, and a hallway on the side. An average Overland value might take someone from the staircase to the center of the foyer, but it may take a Sprint Action to get from the staircase to the hallway. 2. Describe and use landmarks in the environment to help determine area of effect (or AOE) for attacks. A Discharge might hit “everyone near the fountain in the foyer”, for example, where the fountain was also previously used as a reference for where a foe moved towards. Targets that tried to engage the same foe in melee or move as a unit are usually fair game to be hit by Bursts, Cones, Blasts, etc. 3. Make sure everyone agrees to roll with the GM’s rulings. Abstracted distances in combat can quickly become a headache if players and GMs begin to argue about whether someone is really in range or if an AOE could hit multiple targets. Everyone should make an effort to be clear on how they’re moving on the battlefield so there’s no miscommunication, but when a disagreement happens, the GM’s word is final.
FLANKING It is difficult to fight when beset upon from all sides by enemies. When a combatant is Flanked by foes, they take a -2 penalty to their Evasion. A Small or Medium sized Trainer or Pokémon is considered Flanked when at least two foes are adjacent to them but not adjacent to each other. For Large Trainers and Pokémon, the requirement is three foes meeting those conditions. The requirement increases to four for Huge and five for Gigantic sized combatants. Foes larger than Medium may occupy multiple squares – in this case, they count as a number of foes for the purposes of Flanking equal to the number of squares adjacent to the Flanked target that they’re occupying. However, a single combatant cannot Flank by itself, no matter how many adjacent squares they’re occupying; a minimum of two combatants is required to Flank someone. Here are some visual aids to help demonstrate this concept.
ABSTRACTED COMBAT DISTANCES If you’d rather not use a map for battles, don’t fret. Abstracting distances is easy if you follow a few guidelines and use proper descriptions of the battlefield. 1. Separate the battlefield into rough zones to help determine movement ranges. For instance, an indoor battle separated into a foyer area, a grand staircase at the far end of the foyer, and a hallway on the side. An average Overland value might take someone from the staircase to the center of the foyer, but it may take a Sprint Action to get from the staircase to the hallway. 2. Describe and use landmarks in the environment to help determine area of effect (or AOE) for attacks. A Discharge might hit “everyone near the fountain in the foyer”, for example, where the fountain was also previously used as a reference for where a foe moved towards. Targets that tried to engage the same foe in melee or move as a unit are usually fair game to be hit by Bursts, Cones, Blasts, etc. 3. Make sure everyone agrees to roll with the GM’s rulings. Abstracted distances in combat can quickly become a headache if players and GMs begin to argue about whether someone is really in range or if an AOE could hit multiple targets. Everyone should make an effort to be clear on how they’re moving on the battlefield so there’s no miscommunication, but when a disagreement happens, the GM’s word is final.
Not all terrain is created equal. The type of terrain you’re moving over will determine which Movement Capability you use to Shift as well as having additional affects on your Movement. Basic Terrain Type affects which Movement Capability you use to Shift.
» Regular Terrain: Regular Terrain is dirt, short grass, cement, smooth rock, indoor building etc. Basically anything that’s easy to walk on. Shift as normal on regular terrain!
» Earth Terrain: Earth Terrain is underground terrain that has no existing tunnel that you are trying to Shift through. You may only Shift through Earth Terrain if you have a Burrow Capability.
» Underwater: Underwater Terrain is any water that a Pokémon or Trainer can be submerged in. You may not move through Underwater Terrain during battle if you do not have a Swim Capability. In addition to the various types of Basic Terrain, there are special types of terrain that further modify your movement. All of the following types of terrain also have a Basic Terrain Type.
» Slow Terrain: Slow Terrain is anywhere with enough debris or brush around so that Trainers and Pokémon are significantly slowed down. Some examples of Slow Terrain are uneven earth, mud, or deep snow or water (that’s not deep enough to count as ‘underwater’). Even ice may count as Slow Terrain due to the need to move carefully and slowly. When Shifting through Slow Terrain, Trainers and their Pokémon treat every square meter as two square meters instead.
» Rough Terrain: Most Rough Terrain is also Slow Terrain, but not always. When targeting through Rough Terrain, you take a -2 penalty to Accuracy Rolls. Spaces occupied by other Trainers or Pokémon are considered Rough Terrain. Certain types of Rough Terrain may be ignored by certain Pokémon, based on their capabilities. Rough terrain includes tall grass, shrubs, rocks, or anything else that might obscure attacks. Squares occupied by enemies always count as Rough Terrain.
» Blocking Terrain: Straightforwardly, this is Terrain that cannot be Shifted or Targeted through, such as walls and other large obstructions.
Abstracted Combat Example: An intrepid Trainer and his Galvantula are infiltrating a Team Aqua hideout in a small cove. The GM describes the scene. There is a small dock just on the inside of the cove opening where a submarine is being kept. A Team Aqua grunt and his Kingler are resting against it. Further into the cove and beyond the submarine, there’s a door leading into the hideout facility itself with a Quagsire standing guard next to it. There are two basic zones to this encounter now: the area near the submarine and the area near the door, and both have clear landmarks. Wanting to rush into the facility, the Trainer asks his GM whether he and his Galvantula can reach the door. The GM thinks for a moment and says that it would take a Sprint Action for either the Trainer or his Galvantula to get near the door. Thinking this isn’t worth the trouble of being faced up with a Ground Type immediately, the Trainer instead opts to stand back and remain hidden while he orders his Galvantula to shift closer to the submarine and use Electroweb on the grunt and the Kingler. The GM decides this is fair since they were both described as next to the submarine and Electroweb is a Ranged Blast 2. Though it’s a strong hit, and Super-Effective on the Kingler to boot, this doesn’t knock them out, and the grunt and Kingler both attack the Galvantula in retaliation on their turns. The Quagsire, meanwhile, is too far away, the GM decides, and only manages to Sprint into the zone with the submarine on its turn. On the Galvantula’s next turn, a Discharge attack takes out the Kingler and Paralyzes the grunt, who ends up failing his Save Check to act despite Paralysis. Without thinking, the Trainer decides he’s going to head up to his Pokémon and start administering a Potion. With Medic Training, this doesn’t cost his Galvantula a turn. Unfortunately, the Quagsire is now in range and nails both Pokémon and Trainer alike with a Mud Bomb attack. Even with the Potion, this ends up knocking out the weakened Galvantula, and the Trainer sends out his Ivysaur instead. On its turn, the Ivysaur easily defeats the Quagsire in one blow with a Seed Bomb. With the remaining grunt slowed by Paralysis, the GM decides the Trainer and his Pokémon can easily proceed to the door and enter the hideout after this point, leaving the grunt jerkily stumbling after them.