Pokemon Skill IronMON rules and settings

The IronMON challenge is a Pokémon randomizer challenge run created by Iateyourpie. "Skill IronMON" is a variant that is designed to test a runner's skill rather than luck, while also engaging viewers in decision-making processes. It is currently in the testing phase, so rules may change.

Below is a list of rules for "Skill IronMON." The origin of each rule is noted in parentheses.

MAJOR RULES:

1. Randomize the game
All Pokémon, movesets, and items are randomized using the settings string below. This grants 100% catch rates on all Pokemon, randomizes Move Tutor moves, sets all non-legendary Pokemon to Fluctuating growth rate, forces trainer Pokemon to evolve at Level 30, increases trainer and wild Pokemon levels by 50%, and adds 3 Pokemon to boss trainers (multiple rulesets): 321WRIEEjIBAAQABwCRAAKeBhsEiAEAiAACCQAuEgAAAAAABRi45ATkAYYICTIGBAIyAAUgEEZpcmUgUmVkIChVKSAxLjFO7AbF48M4ig==

2. One main Pokemon
Before acquiring a Pokemon, you must declare whether it is your new main Pokemon or an "HM Friend." If it is your main, you must swap it to slot 1 immediately and keep it there until you acquire a new main. You may only declare a Pokemon an HM Friend if you have not yet obtained enough Pokemon to progress through all HM barriers OR you are trapped by Mean Look, Spider Web or Block (multiple rulesets).

3. No help from friends
You may not do any of the following with a Pokemon that isn't your main:
- Intentionally send it into battle when the story doesn't require it
- Keep it in battle when it is forced out via Roar or Whirlwind
- Remove its held item
- Use non-HM field moves such as Teleport

4. One Pokemon per area
You may catch only one Pokémon per area (multiple).

5. No legendaries
You may not catch any Pokemon with a base stat total of 580 or higher unless you declare it an HM Friend. Evolving into one is allowed (multiple).

6. No killing wilds
You may not kill any wild Pokemon unless the story requires it OR you are below Level 8 and would not exceed Level 8 from the gained experience (multiple).

7. No refights
You may not re-battle trainers using the VS. Seeker or other means (Standard).

8. Banned moves
You may not select any of the following moves in battle nor teach them to your main: Any HM move, Spore, Rest, Recover, Softboiled, Milk Drink, Morning Sun, Synthesis, Moonlight, Slack Off, Wish, Pain Split, Leech Seed, Assist, Swords Dance, Bulk Up, Dragon Dance, Tail Glow, Calm Mind, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt. You are allowed to use Nature Power, Metronome and Mirror Move (multiple rulesets).

9. Limited heals
You may not use Full Restores or PP Maxes. You also may not heal outside of battle except at Pokemon Centers or via forced heals, and you may not use PP items other than PP Up outside of battle (Kaizo, Skill).

10. Permadeath
Once your main Pokémon has fainted, the run is over, and you must restart with a newly randomized game (multiple).

11. No shopping
You may not buy anything except balls, repels and the items sold by the lab and forest shops (Standard).

12. Every area is a dungeon
You may not re-enter any area more than the required number of times to advance the story. An "area" is defined as a route, city, town, building, forest, cave or boat. Exiting Pokemon Centers and other areas within a larger area does not count as entering the larger area. If you have a choice of which area(s) to re-enter in order to advance the story, you must choose the path that requires the fewer number of re-entries. For example, in FireRed, you must return to Cerulean after Surge via Route 6/Underground/Route 5, not Route 2/Pewter City/Route 3/Mt. Moon/Route 4 (Ultimate, Skill).

13. Must full clear gyms
Once you enter a gym or dojo, you may not leave until you defeat all trainers (Ultimate).

14. Banned held items
You may not enter a battle with your main Pokemon holding any non-consumable item (Kaizo).

15. No flutes
You may not use flutes in battle (Kaizo).

16. Early-game helpers
There is a move tutor in the lab and Viridian Forest who can teach any move, and a salesperson in the lab and forest who sells all items for $600 (but does not buy your items). You may teach one move per run using the tutor. These features are added through the patch found at the bottom of this paste. In Johto-based games, the move tutor and salesperson are in the lab and at the end of Route 31, and in Hoenn-based games, they are in the lab and in Petalburg Woods. Patches for other games may be added in the future, but for now you can use a save editor instead (Skill).

MINOR RULES:

17. No stealing items from wilds
You may not use any item obtained from a wild Pokemon via Thief, Covet or Trick (multiple).

18. Accidental experience from wilds
If you gain experience from a wild encounter you intended to generate, you must catch a new main Pokemon before leaving the area where you gained experience. If you gain experience from a wild encounter you did not intend to generate, you may continue without pivoting. You must attempt to run from any unintended encounters (multiple).

19. Teleport use
You are not required to use Teleport to reduce the number of area re-entries in your run (Skill).

20. No farming items
You may not pick up respawning items or daily NPC items more than once (Standard).

21. Illegal start
If all three starters are banned Pokemon, you must reset the run (unknown origin).

22. No abusing Sketch
You may not relearn Sketch via the Move Relearner (Kaizo).

23. No HP underflow
You cannot battle a trainer if your current HP is higher than your max HP.

-----

Instructions for setting up Skill IronMON:
1. Make sure you have a ROM of Pokemon FireRed on your computer.
2. Download the Universal Pokemon Randomizer (ZX 4.6): https://github.com/Ajarmar/universal-pokemon-randomizer-zx/releases/tag/v4.6.0
3. Download the Skill IronMON patch: https://github.com/seadogstingray/firered-skill-ironmon-patch/archive/refs/tags/v4.zip
4. Double click on the patch you downloaded.
5. The patch will ask you to load a file; choose an unmodified FireRed ROM.
6. The patch will ask you where you want to save your modified ROM; you can choose anywhere on your computer.
7. Open the Randomizer ZX program through the ..._launcher.bat file.
8. Click "Open ROM" and select your patched FireRed ROM.
9. Click "Get/Load Settings String"
10. Copy and paste this settings string: 321WRIEEjIBAAQABwCRAAKeBhsEiAEAiAACCQAuEgAAAAAABRi45ATkAYYICTIGBAIyAAUgEEZpcmUgUmVkIChVKSAxLjFO7AbF48M4ig==
11. Click "Randomize (Save)" in the upper-right
12. Type in a name for your ROM and click "Save".
13. Click "Yes" on the prompt to Save the log file
14. You're done and ready to play! See the IronMON Discord for instructions on setting up the tracker.