Every Pokémon in the PASBL has both health (the amount of damage they can take before fainting) and energy (the amount of moves or actions they can perform before fainting). As a standard, all Pokémon are able to take roughly 6 Hyper Beams worth of damage and use 9 Hyper Beams worth of energy before fainting. Each move in the ASB, including signatures, state damage and/or energy in terms of these set words, which form a relative scale. This is a list of the terms used in order of power, from weakest to strongest, with relevant moves as milestones listed alongside them. These terms are rough measurements of base power, meaning the energy/damage of moves may be slighly higher or lower than what is stated, and increases or decreases in power may not correspond to terms on the list. As Hyper Beam is the strongest move in the game in terms of raw power, it is listed as the largest base unit of health and energy.
Burn - Burn is a status inflicted primarily by Fire-type moves, causing a burn on the skin of the afflicted Pokémon. Burns tend to be rather painful and irritating, making movement or use of the area where the burn is more difficult and laborious, possibly reducing the power of attacks using the affected area. If this area is struck by a move, it will cause additional pain. Burns also inflict light damage at the end of each round. If in a particularly wet or cold environment, burns will be less severe and painful, but will be more severe and painful in hot environments.
Chilled - Pokémon can become Chilled as a result of moves such as Icy Wind or Glaciate. This results in a general overall sluggishness, loss of dexterity, making them slower to execute moves and react to the opponent. While this will naturally fade after two or three rounds, it can be expelled earlier if a heat or Fire-based attack is used, or if in a warm environment.
Confusion - Confusion is a status inflicted by a variety of different moves, causing the Pokémon to become disoriented. The severity of the confusion can vary depending on the move, exposure to it, and current mental state of the Pokémon. Pokémon who are resistant to mind-altering effects will generally suffer from milder confusion. While confused, Pokémon will not damage themselves as a direct result of the confusion, but the afflicted Pokémon may fail to hit with moves or moves may fail to be executed if the confusion is moderate to severe. The chance of failure depends on the severity of the confusion, with mild confusion causing partial misses more often than entire misses, and severe confusion often causing failure entirely. Severe confusion may naturally wear off after about 3 rounds, decreasing in severity over time, with less severe confusion wearing off sooner. Being hit by moves of solid or higher damage will also clear confusion. Additionally, a Pokémon may use focusing or calming moves such as Focus Energy or Calm Mind (but not Focus Punch) to clear confusion, but the additional effects normally caused by them will not occur. Repeated attempts to confuse a Pokémon will result in less severe confusion.
Freeze - Freeze is a status inflicted primarily by Ice-type moves, which encases part of the Pokémon's body in a block of ice. Ice formed as a result of a move tends to be extremely fragile and easy to break out of, but will cause a numbing effect in the localized area that will make execution of attacks with that area or limb very difficult. This numbness will fade after a round or so, but can be dispelled earlier by using heat or Fire-based attacks. Full-body freeze is possible but very rare, and requires the Pokémon to be wet or in a wet environment. Most Pokémon will be able to break from the full body freeze without issue, but will suffer generalized effects for up to two rounds.
Paralysis - Paralysis is a status inflicted primarily by Electric-type moves, though a physical variant can also be inflicted by Body Slam. Paralysis causes the body of the afflicted Pokémon to lock up at random, preventing them from executing attacks. Since paralysis causes the Pokémon's body to lock up, it is very distracting and can break a Pokémon's focus when using both physical and special moves. Paralysis can be full body or localized, applying to only the area affected when local. It can also be of varying severity, which determines both how often moves fail and how long the paralysis lasts. Paralysis naturally fades after about 3 rounds if severe, decreasing in severity each round, but it can also be jarred out of the Pokémon if they are hit with a move of significant or higher damage. Physical paralysis may also occur, and will generally only result in severe paralysis, but it will clear quickly and can be dispelled with relaxation moves such as Agility, though electrical paralysis cannot. Once paralysis is clear, the Pokémon will suffer from a drop in speed and agility for roughly a round after. Repeated attempts to paralyze a Pokémon will result in less severe paralysis.
Poison - Poison is a status inflicted primarily by Poison-type moves which fills the afflicted Pokémon with toxins that slowly eat away at their health. Standard poison acts the round that it is inflicted, dealing light damage to the poisoned Pokémon at the end of each round. Toxic poison, inflicted via Toxic and Poison Fang, takes one full round to set in, after which it it deals damage, starting at minor damage, increasing by minor damage each round, dealing at most considerable damage each round. Toxic poison that is injected directly may set in somewhat quicker. Steel Pokémon can be poisoned if the poison is ingested or bypasses their protective layers, but inorganic Pokémon and most Ghost Pokémon are immune to poison.
Sleep and Drowsiness - Sleep and Drowsiness are statuses inflicted in a variety of ways, primarily through non-damaging, coaxing moves. Sleep moves, with the exception of Yawn, have the goal of lulling their target to sleep. Though the length of time it takes to put a Pokémon to sleep generally varies, it averages around 5 second under average conditions. When a Pokémon is put to sleep, they will generally only sleep for around 2 rounds if not awoken. While asleep, Pokémon will recover decent energy per round if not interrupted. If a Pokémon is in an irritated, enraged or otherwise negative mental state, they may have fitful sleep, causing less energy regeneration and for them to wake up earlier. Rest works similarly to normal sleep, but the recovery of energy is much faster and the user will wake up in about a round's time. If a sleep move is not executed completely, fails to hit entirely or the Pokémon is resistant to sleep due to their mental state or an SC, they may fall into a drowsy state, between sleep and wakefulness. In this state, their reaction will be slowed, their mental state will be calmed and their moves will be weakened. If they are allowed to relax and are not jarred from this state within about half a round's time, they may fall asleep. Yawn will always cause drowsiness. Both Sleep and Drowsiness will fade on their own, but use of sound moves such as Uproar or Hyper Voice or damage of significant level or higher will knock them out of this state. Repeated attempts to put a Pokémon to sleep or to Rest are likely to fail or result in a much more sensitive and short sleep.
Other Definitions
Distance - Although arenas vary in size and scale, Pokémon will generally resist travelling so far from their trainer that they cannot hear their orders. While reffs discretion is advised, it is difficult for Pokémon to travel further than 25 feet away from the opponent and/or their trainer. This guidance does not apply to a Grand Melee.
Enthusiasm - Certain Pokémon may be identified as being more or less enthusiastic in particular situations and environments. Generally, Pokémon which are comfortable in their surroundings will be more enthusiastic and ready to battle, performing actions slightly faster and feeling greater confidence and focus and a heightened resistance to flinching. The opposite is true for Pokémon which are not enthusiastic about a given situation, taking a little longer to perform their actions and being easier to unnerve or disrupt.
Exhaustion - Although Pokémon are generally trained fighters, they are not fighting machines, and require rests in order to fight efficiently and effectively. Every 3 or so rounds, perhaps longer if their rounds were relatively light, a Pokémon should have at least one round in which it uses either one move or two lower energy moves. Using a high-energy move as a one-mover will also somewhat mitigate their exhaustion, but not to same effect as other moves of lower energy. A Pokémon who is exhausted will have slower reaction times, move and use moves more slowly, and, if they go a number of rounds without a rest, will burn energy at an increased rate and eventually cause their moves to lose power. Using multiple high energy moves in a row can also cause exhaustion and can cause the moves to cost more energy and lose power faster than normal.
Familiarity - Pokémon which are considered more familiar with particular types have more energy of that type to use and will be better at manipulating the energy of their attacks, allowing them the same benefits that Pokémon with STAB enjoy.
Flight - Pokémon achieve flight in different ways and individual SCs will highlight differences in proficiency. In general, Pokémon which can fly are able to travel as far and as high as other Pokémon may run from their trainer. They will usually be able to achieve higher speeds than most Pokémon will be able to by running when travelling horizontally or towards the ground and will often be able to perform impressive aerial maneuvers at speed. However, it can be more difficult to gain altitude unless there are thermals present and strong winds and other weather can send fliers off course.
Gender Differences - In-game gender differences are present in the ASB, though in the majority of cases they will have little more than a cosmetic effect upon a battle. Striking a Pokémon between the legs or in any area where a real world creature might have sensitive reproductive organs provides no advantage in battle and will not result in a critical hit.
Immunity - As in the games, some Pokémon are immune to the damaging effects of certain moves because of their type. In the ASB, this mechanic is based around type energy, as in the case Dragon Pulse (a burst of Dragon type energy) which is completely ineffective against Fairy type Pokémon. However, some of these attacks will still have some effect upon immune targets in the ASB through other means. For example, while a Mawile is immune to damage from Poison type energy, they can still be poisoned by moves like Poison Powder and Toxic and will still take a small amount of damage from moves like Poison Jab because there is a physical hit as well as a transfer of energy.
Inorganic - Pokémon which are inorganic do not need to breathe, eat or drink in order to survive. They can therefore travel freely underwater and in other mediums where respiration might be hindered. They cannot be poisoned and will not be affected by spores or gasses.
Levitation - Pokémon levitate in different ways and individual SCs will highlight differences in proficiency. In general, Pokémon which are able to levitate can reach a height of eight feet without using any energy and can bring themselves up to a height of twelve feet for a round or so using light energy. They can generally move at the same pace that most bipeds can run and dodge at, freely in all three dimensions. Levitation is generally more stable than flight, users able to more effectively control their descent during sudden changes in Gravity and steady themselves more readily in adverse weather conditions. Levitation will work underwater.
Off-Type Energy - Most Pokémon have access to moves that are of a type other than their own. These are called eoff-typef moves and Pokémon have a limited amount of energy with which to use them (roughly analogous to PP in the games). Contrastingly, all Pokémon have an unlimited amount of their own type energy (although they have a limited amount of total energy) and an unlimited amount of Normal type energy, as the Normal type is not considered an off-type. So a Pikachu could use as many Swift and Thunderbolt attacks as it liked, but could only use a small number of Signal Beam attacks.
Species Characteristics Boosts - Some Pokémon gain boosts or to certain moves or heightened resistance to certain attacks through their Species Characteristics. Where these boosts are to the power of offensive attacks, the Pokémon only expend slightly more energy (5% more for each 10% increase in offense), but moves effected do not contribute to exhaustion any more than normal.
STAB - In the ASB, Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) works differently from the games. Pokémon do not deal extra damage with attacks of their type, so a Pikachufs Thunderbolt will deal no more damage than a Clefairyfs. However, Pokémon of a particular type will be better at focusing and manipulating their own typefs energy. STAB can have different effects dependent on the situation and Reffs Discretion is advised. Where a Clefairyfs Thunderbolt might be harshly affected by the move Sunny Day, a Pikachu will be better able to focus the electricity and deliver a strong attack. Where a Clefairyfs Flamethrower will probably disperse and lose power at range, a Charmanderfs probably wonft etc.
Uplevel and Evolutions - In the ASB, all trainers can have two uplevel Pokemon that are one level higher than their trainer level, and are allowed to bring one of these Pokemon to battle without negative consequences. A trainer may bring both to a battle at once, but there will be a chance of disobedience from either if they are used in battle. For each level that a Pokemon has over another, it will gain a permanant 10% boost to attack and defense, capping at 20%. Evolutionary stage also will give a slight advantage, giving an additional 5% boost towards attack and defense for each additional stage above the user (e.g. a Charizard will have a 10% advantage over a Roggenrola). This does not apply if one of the Pokemon is non-evolving. Mega Evolutions give the same advantages as uplevels, but having a Mega-evolved Uplevel will also risk disobedience the same way having two uplevels will. All level and evolution advantages cap at 20%.
Weakness and Resistance - Just like in the games, some Pokémon are weak against certain types of move and resistant to others. Charizard is weak to Thunderbolt but takes less damage from Focus Blast, for example. However, there are a few differences in the ASB. Firstly, our default system is 2x and 3x, meaning that while a Thunderbolt will deal 2x damage to a Charizard like in the games, a Stone Edge will only deal 3x damage. On the other hand, Charizard will take 50% of the damage from a Focus Blast and only 33% of the damage from a Solar Beam. Secondly, there are are a small number of differences between our type chart and the one in the games - the SCs for each type make it clear what those are.
This includes any moves learned by preevolutions through these methods, even if they would not normally be able to learn it due to the inability to transfer between Gen I and II and the newer games. In addition, any moves that are usable through error in the games (such as Earthquake Lanturn) or were shown to be usable in the anime but are not normally learnable in the games (such as Whirlwind Bulbasaur) may also be used in the ASB. The official source for the ASB for Level Up, TM/HM, Move Tutor, and Egg Moves is veekun.com; any moves listed there will be considered legal. Additionally, any moves listed in the For Future Reference thread found in the Suggestions & Inquiries subforum are considered legal.
Physical and Special Moves - Like in the games, damage-dealing moves fall into two general categories, Physical and Special. However, in the ASB, due to the nature of some moves, there are often instances where the relationship between generating these moves and the type of damage they do or properties they have does not always coincide. Physically generated moves tend to be moves that are performed through physical action, such as direct melee attacks or attacks that involve throwing or propelling objects (such as Rock Slide or Stone Edge). Specially generated moves tend to be moves that are formed from energy or are propelled or altered with energy (such as Water Gun or Ominous Wind). However, there are a number of cases where moves that are specially generated have physical qualities, and some vice versa. Generally, Mud-based moves, Sludge and Acid-based moves, Water moves (not counting moves such as Water Pulse, Bubblebeam or Hidden Power [Water]) and some Wind Moves (see the Wind Moves rules) will break through Light Screen but be stopped by Reflect and be returned by Counter. Additionally, some Physical moves (such as Elemental Punches) will have Special energy elements that will make them slightly more effective against Reflect, though they will not trigger Mirror Coat or be weakened by Light Screen.
Recovery Clause - Any moves considered to be a "recovery move" (i.e. a move that directly restores health) may be used once per Pokémon per battle.
Critical Hits - Random critical hits do not exist in the ASB, but moves may deal more damage than normal under certain circumstances, commonly regarded as a critical hit. Moves such as Crush Claw can cause points that will cause more damage if struck, and moves such as Slash may target weak spots, with a chance of dealing more damage. Additionally, some Pokémon may have vulnerable areas that will result in higher damage if struck.
Draining/Energy Recovery Moves - All draining moves which drain energy and recover it from the foe work similarly, restoring about half the energy drained from the target (unless otherwise stated). Multiple uses of draining moves will cause diminished effects, effecting not only the move used, but other draining moves. However, low-power draining moves such as Leech Life and Absorb are not subject to this. Additionally, any moves that directly recover energy (e.g. Wish, Rest) will suffer from diminishing returns for multiple uses, especially if they are consecutively or within a few rounds.
Sound Moves - There are two kinds of sound moves in the ASB, non-damaging, frequency-based moves and damaging, amplitude-based moves. Non-damaging sound moves (e.g. Supersonic, Screech, Howl, Roar, Noble Roar, etc.) carry no energy themselves and are not subject to any type modification. Pokémon with sensitive hearing are more likely to be startled by these moves and may be more vulnerable to their effects. Damaging sound moves (e.g. Hyper Voice, Boomburst, Round, Chatter, etc.) are simply energy-based moves carried via sound. While those with sensitive hearing will be vulnerable to the associated sound, they will not take additional damage. Type modification will be calculated as normal.
Boosts and Drops - Moves that raise or lower statistics in the ASB function somewhat differently from the games. Most moves raise or lower attack or defense one or more "stages"; each stage corresponds to a roughly 10% increase or decrease in the power of moves or the resistance to attacks. Multiple uses of boosting moves that affect the same stat will cause the boost to be considerably less when over two stages, rising at most to 25%. Boosts will fade over time, taking roughly 3 rounds for a stat to fall or rise from one stage to normal. This means that higher-level stat gains or drops will take longer to fade than lower-level modifications. Non-standard boost/drop moves like Belly Drum or Memento, which drastically change a stat, may not be affected by these rules in the same way. Boost in offensive stats cause increased use in general energy (5% per every 10% increase) but not Type energy, nor do they contribute to short-term exhaustion. Boosts in defensive stats cause a drop in overall speed and movement ability for their duration, but preserve reaction time. Alterations in speed change not only overall movement speed, but also affect reaction time, making it more or less difficult for the affected Pokémon to evade attacks or react to their environment.
Curses - A number of moves in the ASB work by applying strange curses on the foe. These curses act like psuedo-statuses and may trigger boosts from moves like Facade or Hex. While some curses have special rules for their elimination, most will fade after a period of time or if Refresh or Heal Bell is used.
Charm and Related Attacks - Moves like Charm are largely dependent on the mental state of the Pokémon targeted. Although the exact perameter that allows these moves to work varies from move to move, nearly all moves based off Charm are more effective against calmer, less aggressive and fresher foes. Opponets that are enraged, naturally aggressive, tired or have fought for a while against the user will be less vulnerable to their effects.
Attraction - Moves like Attract and Captivate work on body shape, physiology and relative size. Pokémon that are noted to be particularly beautiful may have greater success than others. Reffs discretion should be used; a Skitty may be attractive to a Meowth or a Pikachu and have limited success in attracting a Pidgey or a Machop, but a Wailord will almost certainly be uninterested.
Item Moves - Moves that steal (e.g. Thief, Covet), trade (e.g. Trick, Switcheroo) or dispose of (e.g. Knock Off) items in-game can be used to affect attachable tokens or badges. These moves can only be used once per Pokémon, per move (e.g. a Pokémon can Trick a token on the foe then Knock it Off, but cannot Trick tokens back twice). With the exception of Knock Off, stealing token or item effects last for five rounds before they're returned or the effects wear off. These moves cannot affect Mega Tokens or Badges.
Wind Attacks - Attacks involving wind and air interact with Screens and other similar defensive techniques depending on a variety of factors. Moves that are primarily air-based (generally, Flying-typed wind attacks, such as Razor Wind, Air Cutter or Gust) tend to be fairly "solid", meaning that they will be resisted by Reflect but will break through Light Screen, while energy-based wind attacks (such as Silver Wind, Fairy Wind, Ominous Wind, etc.) will be easily blocked by Light Screen but will break through a Reflect. Ice-based winds fall somewhere between these two categories, being partially absorbed by either screen while still weakening them significantly, due to their blend of forceful wind, energy, and in the case of Blizzard, actual ice. Despite this variability, all wind attacks are boosted by moves that boost Special Attack.