Arc Development:Original MMZ Miniarc
These are the original plans for what was to be the aborted MegaMan Zero miniarc in the Orange Islands Arc. Initial plan by User:VeniaSilente.
Contents
Brief
Here's the mostly not brief because I'm verbose version:
Le gasp! Eight nasty reploids have kidnapped the President! Are you a bad enough trainer to rescue him?
Err... never mind. It's something closer to...:
Eyeing the advances in human technology and the turmoil in the Orange Islands, Rhode, a [renegade Rotom] raises a plan to become lord of its own turn and from there wage a war of conquest over the archipelago. To this end the Pokémon has recruited [eight warriors] to attack and control eight places of interest.
But what are Rhode's plans it's a secret he might be keeping even from his closest minions. In fact, he might not know what his real goal is at all! He must be stopped before his plan progresses enough to become successful, or worse, it can be hijacked by Ganon!
The miniarc is introduced when a weird Pokémon, Malot Devoros the Swalot, summons various wild Pokémon with grudges against human settlements to set up a distraction attacking a small colony in the Orange Islands while he and a couple of trusted mons infiltrate the Valencia Island PEFE building to steal some technology. Shortly after, some of the small islands around the archipelago are taken over by a weird field of effect that completely changes how Pokémon types interact with one other.
[Players] participating in the miniarc will work by bringing into it one two Pokémon each. At any given time, one of those mons is active running a scenario and or fighting one of the Eight Warriors below. In between scenarios, the chosen Pokémon can be switched out for another Pokémon in the group to take advantage of STAB, physiology, etc.
The players and Pokémon not running the active scenario can work in sideline tasks providing intelligence, clearing other scenarios's puzzles to obtain items, or recovering the McGuffins that the hero of the moment can not prevent from being taken away by the villains; and once the final set of battles take place against Rhode and his elite, all Pokémon will be brought in to participate.
Details
Rhode's Plan
Rhode is a Rotom with a vision - that the world would be much better if ruled completely by technology so as to keep a hold on the various destabilizing, wandering threats such as the Delta Pokémon, the J-Team and the Legendaries.
But to make this happen, Rhode needs two things: a market of technology he can control, and a broker of power who can sway things his way in the wild and protect him of the threat of such strong forces as the J-Team. So, with this thought and the assistance of Malot Devoros, a formerly trained Pokémon with expertise in handling human affairs, he sets off in a two-pronged mission: to try to obtain the two things he needs, while at the same time distract potential do-gooders and direct them to the falling Moons and the zombie apocalypses taking place in the archipelago instead.
(spoilers ahead)
The market is easy to obtain, Rhode says: create a danger, and peoplemons will give born to a need. For this matter, he tasks the eight warriors with spreading the effect of the special typechart altering technology across the archipelago, to bolster wild populations to seek support from knowledgeable mons, who will charge a small fee.
The strong guardian is harder to secure, in particular if it has to be one willing and able to face the J-Team, so for the moment Rhode has settled for a straightforward, practical but still ambitious plan: to [sequester Zapdos] and integrate himself with it / possess it by forcefully equipping him with cybernetic implants. (spoilers end here)
General Guidelines for the Miniarc
- The miniarc is intended to be played by two / three players at a time, at most.
- At any given time only one player controls the hero Pokémon, in the role of "Zero".
- The player running the hero can be switched around at the convenience of the players.
- There are 12 scenarios, of which the first one and the last 3 must be run in order.
- The characters of Malot Devoros (in the first battle), Rhodes (all battles) and the final bosses are to be handled by the GM.
- Any of the players signed up can run any of the Area Bosses to their liking and they are free to create puzzles or a [Miniboss] for the area if they so wish.
- Combat against (mini?)bosses in this miniarc is one on one. The exception is the gauntlet of final bosses, which is free for all.
- Any other tasks within the scenario can be taken by any and all other mons available, so long as they are kickstarted by the current hero.
- Were the current hero be knocked out during a scenario while in battle with a Area Boss, he is Unable to Fight further, and must be taken out from the scenario, requiring another hero to switch in in his place. The exception is a plot hook available in the final stages (to be explained below).
- Scenarios be run fast or without unneeded detail for the most part. Focus be, if possible, on the Boss / Miniboss battle.
- Spikes are not lethal. They just hurt a f***ing lot.
- Pits are not bottomless. They just take a f***ing lot to get out from.
Each island is a scenario. The usual mission profile for each scenario involves defeating minion mons, reaching and disabling each of the Jiffy Pillars until only the area of effect of the Area Boss remains. The mission is completed when both the Area Boss is defeated and the task the minions were performing in the island is halted or prevented.
Area Locks
Each one of Rhode's core squad members is given a special item, a Type Tokenizer. While the squad member is active, the Type Tokenizer emits special waves, not unlike the magnetic waves in Holon, that alter the type chart within a given radius. This effect is called [Area Lock] and involves the following:
- Normal type moves become normal against everything, including Ghost and Steel.
- All other types become weak against one type and effective against one type, creating the classical Mega Man Janken Cycle. For example, Rock becomes effective against Fire only instead of also Flying and Ice; in exchange, it's resisted only by Fighting instead of both it and Ground.
- Any means of teleporting Pokémon or items through the area locks to / from the outside world doesn't work until the area is cleared.
- For the purposes of the arc, catching Pokémon is allowed. (Recall though that if captures over a 6th mon won't be able to access to Storage)
The radius of the Type Tokenizer can be extended for several miles by planting and energizing [Jiffy Pillars], at least one in each island, which must be destroyed by the heroes if they want to regain use of their natural types. Destroying a Jiffy Pillar can only be done by using a Normal-type move.
The Eight Warriors
Yet another tradition of Mega Man games.
The eight warriors are eight Pokémon chosen by Malot Devoros because of their combat skill, ability to adapt, and mastery of specific techniques. As a primary heuristic, each of them can hold their own against Pokémon in the same level of eg.: Luke's or Mezzo's top tiers, though on their own they would not be capable of winning a fight against a foe beyond that level. That's where Rhode's stolen tech comes in.
Each warrior represents a single type. Thanks to Rhode's technology, the normal type advantages and disadvantages are altered, granting each of these warriors a single weakness, a single resistance and a single immunity. As part of the usual MegaMan mechanics, each of the warriors becomes weak against one other warrior's power and resistant against one other warrior's power.
The listing below goes in order of attack effectiveness - each area boss is weak against the next element and resistant against the previous.
Type - species - name - modelled after - details of special attack
- Psychic - Ninetales - Cubit Foxtails (Z3) --> undecided
- Dark - Liepard - Panter Lieuclaws (Z2) --> clawing move that would allow the user to cut through projectiles
- Bug - Ledian - Infinity Minidian (X6) --> undecided
- Flying - Scyther - Deathscyther Mantis (Z3) --> probably a Razor Wind-like move that releases a shockwave upon impact
- Ice - Beartic - Polar Kamrotic (Z2) --> Ice Crash, functioning similarly to Headbutt
- Fire - Volcarona - Volcaros Titania (Z4) --> Ashen Surge - a move similar to Fire Blast but slower and would leave a smoke trail behind, reducing target's accuracy
- Rock - Rhydon - Bypass Rhyno (X3) --> undecided
- Fighting - Infernape - Hanumape (Z1) --> undecided
(credits to Mezzo for that Janken)
Alternate Janken (discarded but still available to work with): Rock - Water - Electric - Grass - Bug - Fire - Ground - Ice
Fighting the area bosses is done on their terms - the hero must use either Normal type, their unique STAB type (provided the boss is not immune to it) or the special type that is effective against the boss, in order to defeat them in battle and completely disable the Type Tokenizer they are wearing. Besides, during battle, the hero must make sure to complete a small storyline goal, basically a case of Cutscene Power to the Max.
Each Area Boss has to their disposal [four moves] - two of their Unique Type, one Normal Type, and one anything - and a Unique Move, indicated above, a move of their unique type that has some particular mechanics added to it, and has the advantage of being immune to the effects of abilities that harm or neutralize moves, such as Pressure or Soundproof.
[b]Storming the Castle[/b]
After the eight Warriors are defeated, Rhode's plans are discovered. This leads to a gauntlet of three scenarios:
- Scenario: Rhode's undersea storage facility
This scenario is intended to be short. Minibosses are allowed. Rhode's main base of operations is discovered and stormed over by the Trainers and their mons. While Rhode escapes with technology key to his ambitions, the chosen Hero for the scenario is ambushed and forced to a battle where if he loses he is taken prisoner. Bosses: Kuwago Pinsirus☆ [Bug] + Herculion Drapiotus☆ [Dark] - this fight is one on two.
- Scenario: Shamoutli Island caves
This scenario is the classical MegaMan mook gauntlet. No minibosses or puzzles allowed. The heroes find out about Rhode's plan and head to Shamoutli Island where they must fight through a group of Delta types and reach the core of Thunder Island where Zapdos has been restrained. Boss:
- if the Hero of the previous mission was defeated and captured, a Brainwashed and Crazy Hero
- otherwise, a Pseudolegendary enhanced with cybernetics.
All Pokémon signed up in the miniarc can participate in this scenario.
- Scenario: Island of Thunder.
This is the final scenario and consists only of fighting the bosses. Rhode finds himself short on monpower and decides to face the heroes directly in a last battle by possessing a stolen and repurposed Subvolcanic Exploration and Examination Drone (SEED) made by PEFE. After he is defeated and the vehicle destroyed, Rhode takes advantage of the time spent distracting the heroes to upload his consciousness on the no longer restrained Zapdos. Bosses: SEED!Rhode, Zapdos+Rhode.
All Pokémon signed up in the miniarc can participate in this scenario.
Items to be Obtained
Difficult to decide, since in WAAPT items are mostly trivial to acquire. Perhaps one elemental item from other games of similar franchises, adapted to usage in the RP like the Pendant and the Shiny Stone were.
Progress
Before the miniarc was aborted, Malot Devoros and three Area Bosses had been introduced and the first PEFE facility had been raided. Malot Devoros was seeking out minions to populate the scenarios.
