Iornian Broadcast

"Greetings, Trainers and travelers! This is Mayor Eoghan Caomhan, of Thomson Valley!" The fashionably-dressed man on the LCD screen grins and spreads his arms with the sort of boisterous vivacity one might expect to see in a stage magician, "And, as the well-informed should know, its currently acting Gym Leader! As standing head of the Iornian League Association, I am pleased to announce that I, no, we, have gathered here today, to imbue within you all a basic knowledge of our fine Region! Perhaps you come to challenge us Leaders, or to investigate these strange new Delta Pokemon," At this, the camera pans out slightly, revealing a white-furred, oddly brown-striped creature beside Eoghan waving its claws energetically at the camera, "Yes, yes, Iscariot! We all know how much everyone adores you Delta Pokemon. Why, I myself have gath---"

The camera swerves to the right as a gray-haired woman in a gold-adorned white blouse cuts off Eoghan's trailing voice, "You're getting off topic, Eoghan. No, it's my fault. I should have planned for this. Trainers! Pay attention! We are here to give you a run-down on this Region you are about to join or otherwise explore." When the woman says "we," the picture zooms out, revealing a coterie of men and women, roughly twelve in total. Some eccentric personalities show up in the mix, but surely those will be gotten to shortly? "Now, we should begin with the rules of the Pokemon League, and the restrictions you will need to abide by on your travels."

A man all the way on the right raises his hand sheepishly, "I guess that's my cue. I'm Rory. Just Rory... Head of the Iornian Association of Rangers. Think of us as your police force, your military, your nature wardens." The man thumbs a blue amulet hanging around his neck as he speaks, "So! The rules. Sorry to start off on such a dry note." The man changes his tone to a more leaderly, reassuring voice, "The most important: travel in groups! This is basic, but it's a serious matter. Groups of three to five are safest; not too large to get separated easily, but big enough to fend for themselves. Secondly, and nearly as important, you are to register at every Pokemon Center you come across! I implore you, do not forget this! This gives us an idea of where you are, so we can send someone to your aid if you should find yourself in trouble, but it also acts to log where you've traveled to, and where you've yet to explore. This is significant, because as a registered participant in the League, you are not allowed to Fly, or board a train(at this, a knit-capped woman left of Rory winks at the camera), to anywhere you have yet to visit. We believe the journey is as important as the destination, and avoiding it through such travel methods defeats the purpose of challenging the Iornian League. We do monitor this, so don't think you can skip off and ignore it. Next, do not cause any undue harm to anyone you meet, be they other Trainers, civilians, or Wild Pokemon. Of course, battles are sure to happen, and we encourage them, even those involving the Trainers themselves, but exercise caution, and don't overdo it. If you get attacked, don't be afraid to fight back, but keep in mind that wiping out a large amount of Wild Pokemon at once can damage the ecosystem, in addition to being cruel, so show some restraint against them. Now, I think that's all I have to say. So, next should be...?"

"ME! My turn, right? Good!" A short, petite woman wearing the odd combination of an eyepatch, captain's jacket, and bikini(one of those "eccentric personalities") speaks up, loud enough to cause the Leaders next to her to flinch and rub their ears, "Us Gym Leaders, you might be used to fighting us, or maybe not! But here in Iornia, we take this stuff seriously! You won't be just walking in and fighting us, we're to test your merit and worth as Trainers, and a plain-ole battle ain't gonna cut it! Don't challenge us lightheartedly, cause you won't make it out!" She draws a cutlass from her hip and brandishes it towards the camera, probably to make a point of some kind. "Oh, and before I forget, it's your lucky day, handsome suitors! Cause I'm young and sin--"

"Right, so that was Miren. Miren, everybody. She's done talking now." The new voice comes from a man in what looks like a modified red-and-black racing jacket, who must be quite something, to cut off that loud girl. "So I'm Ionain, ex-Ranger and co-head of the Iornian Explorer's Institution. I'll be explaining the basic environments and terrains you can expect to come across in Iornia. If you're getting your first Pokemon from Professor Albion, you should prepare for the marshy, rainy terrain around Beaufort City and the Tyndall Lake region. A solid, waterproof tent is a necessity, and make sure to pack sufficient firestarting supplies. Lighters or flint strikers, not matches. The Iornia Region as a whole has a mild, but cool and rainy, climate, so prepare with windbreakers and waterproof coats. Outside the Lake area, you'll be on more solid ground, but stay vigilant nonetheless."

"Speaking of solid ground," A woman next to Ionain pipes up, with a half-serious tone, "Don't head into the mountains until you've got a few Badges. There's no rule against it, but the wild Pokemon up there can be mighty ferocious. Oh, that's right, I'm Sumera, co-head of the Iornian Explorer's Institution, and all that yadda yadda. As I was saying, don't go anywhere you aren't prepared to be. You see something you can't handle, run! Don't try to force a fight."

"On that note, listen to me, Corentin, and keep your little selves prepared for the fights you CAN handle. We wouldn't want you getting hurt without a way to patch yourselves back up, hm?" This comes from a blonde man in a suit, fiddling with his tie, "The Pokemon Centers may be free to use, but you can't take them along with you. As a businessman, I know a worthy investment when I see one, so trust in me and stock up on healing items before you go trudging off into the wilderness, hm? Maybe, just maybe, it will keep you from needing rescuing. Oh, and PokeMarts aren't the only places you can stumble upon items. Many times, scared little Trainers run off and drop their belongings, or a Pokemon gathers up something shiny to horde it. Don't be afraid to filch those items! They won't need them."

The leftmost member, a young man with white hair, raises his head and speaks up, "Yeah, keeping yourself in fighting form is pretty vital to travel. And know your strengths and weaknesses, not just Type-wise. Understand what you're capable of, and do what you can, but accept that you can't accomplish everything yourself. If a teammate can do a job better than you, let them."

An old man next to Eoghan nods at the boy's words, and chimes in, "Well said, Rowurke. But just as important as knowing your own strengths is to know your enemy's. Check up on the Wild Pokemon which frequent an area you will be visiting, and learn as much about them as you can."

"A good addition, Levon." A relaxed, modest-looking woman next to the old man speaks up, with much more power in her voice than would be expected, "Well! Our seminar is almost at its end, but there are a few topics left. For instance, you have been prepared for what you will see and the Pokemon you may meet, yet you know little about the people of Iornia. Of course, powerful Trainers abound in most Regions, but here you are likely to meet some..stranger characters than you may be used to. Don't be surprised if you run across people just as adept at using the powers of fire, water, or lightning as their Pokemon are. And on the note of Pokemon, we have one last thing to discuss. Gaol?" She turns her head, and directs her attention to a bespectacled man in a labcoat, who was until then staring at the fluffy, striped Pokemon. "...Gaol?"

"Yes? Oh, yes! Delta Pokemon! They are a phenomenon exclusive to Iornia! At least, in this quantity. These Delta Pokemon are fascinating irregularities in the stream of Pokemon genetics. Common Pokemon such as Hoppip become extremely rare oddities! Perhaps you may meet one that is not part Flying-type, but rather Ground, Fire, or even Dragon! And Type is not all that changes! They learn techniques normally forbidden to their species, gain the use of capabilities they never should have had! As if that wasn't enough, they are more powerful than typical members of their species! If you travel throughout Iornia even casually, as long as you pay attention, you are sure to encounter at least a few of these unique Pokemon. Catch them if you wish! I'm sure they feel ostracized by their kin and would love a good Trainer to take care of them!"

The original speaker, Eoghan, claps his hands together and speaks in his commanding voice, "So! There you have it! This should greatly improve your journey across Iornia, and prevent head-scratching all around! But, if you've any further questions, simply ask the nearest Ranger or Gym Leader, or Professor, even! They would no doubt be delighted to assist you in any matters. With that, I believe it is time to end this broadcast? If there are any more special reports, be sure to tune in! That's all, folks!" The screen goes black, and the crowd that gathered during the show begins to murmur about the information, specifically, that concerning the Delta Pokemon! Stronger than normal, hm...


So! The Leaders may be done, but I'm not. There are some things that, well, can't be said in-character, really. Like: Feats and Classes! There is one Feat that is disallowed; that being Type Sync. After all, the very premise of the game is the uniquely-typed Pokemon swarming around, and undermining that by allowing just anyone to go and swap Types around wouldn't be right. Elemental Connection's prerequisites are changed; you instead need either the listed prerequisites(which is 1 of Focus or Intuition at Novice Rank, or Type Ace), or, if you are taking an Elementalist Class, you need its associated Skills at Novice Rank. For example, a wannabe Shade Caller would need Novice Stealth and Guile to take Elemental Connection(Dark). Survivalist is kept the same, but very slightly changed: it now has the [+2 HP] Stat Tag on all of its Features. Additionally, Forest Ranger allows you to substitute Survival for Checks and qualifying for Hunter. Traceur's DC is now 20, and if you have the Wallrunner Edge, it allows you to Wallrun an additional 2 Meters.

Out of the Core books, The Blessed And The Damned is banned entirely, at LEAST for character creation. Jailbreaker and Engineer from Do Porygon Dream of Mareep are allowed, but Upgrader is not. All Classes in Game of Throhs are fair game. Any homebrew I've made is fair game...but give me a chance to update Magician and Gambler. As for recommended Classes, Capture Specialist and Jailbreaker work well, since you'll be doing a lot of catching Pokemon, if you intend to research the Delta Pokemon. You'll be involved in both solo and group combat, albeit more of the latter, so Classes like Cheerleader and Mastermind mesh well. Combat Classes are a decent choice, as having an additional hand in fights is always good. The Gyms will sometimes involve Trainer fighting, too, so you won't be SOL there. Survivalist would be a nice choice, as Terrain will come into play often. At least someone should have Medic Training... If you want to be a Ranger, keep in mind you don't need the Hunter, Survivalist, or Soldier classes, though they help. But! Those are just some guidelines of archetypes that would be useful. If what you want to play isn't on here, no matter! Go ahead and play it anyway. You'll be fine. That's all I've got to say for now, so...Thrice out!