Robot's Deconstruction Hour: Juggler
Aug 2, 2016 18:29:13 GMT
Nocturne, flamefist96, and 1 more like this
Post by Robot on Aug 2, 2016 18:29:13 GMT
Overview: Juggler is our fourth class on the round trip circuit through the battling style classes. Juggler relies on keeping opponents unbalanced by switching often and allowing for more favorable trades. The class is extremely AP hungry, and is one of those that would really love (and benefit) from having a Cheerleader close by it's side. It is considered to be the opposite of Duelist, and works in nearly any build except for the aforementioned class, and other classes that are high in AP spenders. Substantially more rude if you are packing Curve Ball from Capture Specialist.
Pros
-Strong action economy, switching typically anything from a move to a full action, with Juggler reducing this handily.
-Strong battlefield positioning and presence.
-Team selection permitting, will always be carrying type advantage, whether offensive or defensive.
-Class is very dynamic, fun, and exciting to play. Juggler is -always- doing something.
Cons
-Costs a non-Training feature to access, eating into your precious Feature slots, while also eating into your starting skills requiring two at Novice. Expensive entry (relatively).
-Extremely AP dependent. Class does scale strongly with levels as you gain more AP, permitting more rotations on the flip side.
-Extremely decision oriented. Juggler mileage will vary based on a player's taste in Pokemon, their selection of classes, and even the switches they do decide to make. This gives Juggler a bit of intuitiveness about it.
-Matches that limit your number of available Pokemon severely limits the versatility of Juggler.
Base Feature: Improved Quick Switch is probably what this would be called if this were another popular d20 system. Reduces the AP cost of Quick Switch to 1, and adds +10 to a Pokemon's initiative when they are brought in for the first time. This allows the subversion of initiative with slower Pokemon, presenting a wider range of strategies to the juggler. Required.
Bounce Shot: Increases the range of your Pokeball throws by 3 meters. DM Permitting, this feature could also allow Curve Ball to trigger twice, but I doubt that was rules as intended. It's an At-Will Free Action, further increasing your deployment range when triggering switches. A juggler using Bounce Shot, with maxed out Virtuoso Acrobatics has a deployment range for it's Pokemon of Move Speed + 13, and a recall range of movespeed + 8. This gives them a wider range of battlefield placement then any other class, and they can shift their Pokemon's location around several times in a turn, AP permitting.
Juggling Show: OBLIGATORY CONTEST FEATURE. You can ignore this entirely in 200% of all games, as Contests remain a running joke. Could have a neat out contest effect like being able to keep three one handed items at the ready, without needing to retrieve one or something, if it gets reworked.
Round Trip: ALL MOVES ARE NOW U-TURN! For 1 AP, land your favorable typing hit on your enemy of choice, then before they can counter-attack whisk it away to safety. Aerial drop their new problem somewhere out of range, or right in their face, whatever suits your needs best in the moment.
Tag In: Frees up a move slot you would have spent on Baton Pass, and pairs extremely well with Stat Ace builds. Like Round Trip, also costs 1 AP. Round Trip Triggered on a boosting move, triggers Tag In, which lets you setup with a fresh Pokemon. Belly Drum is absolutely horrifying with this. 2 AP to bring in a fresh Pokemon at +6 Attack.
Emergency Release: 2 AP, Release a Pokemon as a Shift Action Interrupt. Kind of expensive for what it does in most standard formats, and won't see use in league standard.
First Blood: Once per Scene, any move as Priority. Not a bad once a fight thing, Speed Ace grants a second use of this ability, allowing for all sorts of fun revenge kill strategies.
Pros
-Strong action economy, switching typically anything from a move to a full action, with Juggler reducing this handily.
-Strong battlefield positioning and presence.
-Team selection permitting, will always be carrying type advantage, whether offensive or defensive.
-Class is very dynamic, fun, and exciting to play. Juggler is -always- doing something.
Cons
-Costs a non-Training feature to access, eating into your precious Feature slots, while also eating into your starting skills requiring two at Novice. Expensive entry (relatively).
-Extremely AP dependent. Class does scale strongly with levels as you gain more AP, permitting more rotations on the flip side.
-Extremely decision oriented. Juggler mileage will vary based on a player's taste in Pokemon, their selection of classes, and even the switches they do decide to make. This gives Juggler a bit of intuitiveness about it.
-Matches that limit your number of available Pokemon severely limits the versatility of Juggler.
Base Feature: Improved Quick Switch is probably what this would be called if this were another popular d20 system. Reduces the AP cost of Quick Switch to 1, and adds +10 to a Pokemon's initiative when they are brought in for the first time. This allows the subversion of initiative with slower Pokemon, presenting a wider range of strategies to the juggler. Required.
Bounce Shot: Increases the range of your Pokeball throws by 3 meters. DM Permitting, this feature could also allow Curve Ball to trigger twice, but I doubt that was rules as intended. It's an At-Will Free Action, further increasing your deployment range when triggering switches. A juggler using Bounce Shot, with maxed out Virtuoso Acrobatics has a deployment range for it's Pokemon of Move Speed + 13, and a recall range of movespeed + 8. This gives them a wider range of battlefield placement then any other class, and they can shift their Pokemon's location around several times in a turn, AP permitting.
Juggling Show: OBLIGATORY CONTEST FEATURE. You can ignore this entirely in 200% of all games, as Contests remain a running joke. Could have a neat out contest effect like being able to keep three one handed items at the ready, without needing to retrieve one or something, if it gets reworked.
Round Trip: ALL MOVES ARE NOW U-TURN! For 1 AP, land your favorable typing hit on your enemy of choice, then before they can counter-attack whisk it away to safety. Aerial drop their new problem somewhere out of range, or right in their face, whatever suits your needs best in the moment.
Tag In: Frees up a move slot you would have spent on Baton Pass, and pairs extremely well with Stat Ace builds. Like Round Trip, also costs 1 AP. Round Trip Triggered on a boosting move, triggers Tag In, which lets you setup with a fresh Pokemon. Belly Drum is absolutely horrifying with this. 2 AP to bring in a fresh Pokemon at +6 Attack.
Emergency Release: 2 AP, Release a Pokemon as a Shift Action Interrupt. Kind of expensive for what it does in most standard formats, and won't see use in league standard.
First Blood: Once per Scene, any move as Priority. Not a bad once a fight thing, Speed Ace grants a second use of this ability, allowing for all sorts of fun revenge kill strategies.