CaP Prevos: Voodoll - Part 2 - Ability Discussion

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DHR-107

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Hi All!

Welcome to our second step of Voodoll's creation! Here we will talk about various abilities which we believe would fit with Voodoll thematically and with its parent! Voodoom gets Volt Absorb, Lightning Rod and has had the new addition of Cursed Body with the round of updates it received. Voodoom loves to absorb electricity from opponents and use it against them! This combination of abilities will make it to the final poll regardless (Volt Absorb/Lightning Rod/Cursed Body), but discussion is still encouraged!

Do you think these abilities match with Voodoll? Would you rather see other abilities come to the fore? Try and keep in mind that Voodoll originated in Gen 4, so I'd like at least one "Older" ability to be considered if we decide to change things up!

It goes without saying that ridiculous suggestions will be moderated. Have fun!

Our Prevo So far:
Name: Voodoll
Typing: Normal/Dark
 
(First to post so everyone knows how low their standards can be)
All these abilities really match with voodoll. Anyway here's an older ability to be suggested.

Insomnia looks flavourful on it. It's a scary ass doll, and having needles all over you doesn't look comfy enough for a nap.
Either that or Static could be seen on it. It's old enough and can replace volt absorb, plus fits with it's thing about using electricity against opponents.

vv it was all me
 
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Let me just say that Static is perfect on Voodoll it doesn't have the power to fully control electricity but it can still harness it!

Static and Cursed Body make a ton of sense together would you really want to touch a creepy doll? People in horror movies sure would, and what happens to them once they touch said doll? Bad things.

gj nv/garb
 

nv

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I have to throw my support behind Static as well since it fits Voodoll perfectly thanks to being a doll that can harness electricity, but can't quite control it like its evolved form, Voodoom. I also really like the idea of a Normal/Dark type with Static, due to it being only seen on Electric-types, giving Voodoll an unique "flavor" in LCAP.

I would also like to mention Motor Drive as an option for its ability, mainly because its evolved form, Voodoom, has two abilities, both of which give it an Electric immunity, and it seems fitting enough, flavor-wise, to give Voodoll the same treatment. While we aren't focusing on competitive aspects for the LCAP proceedings, Motor Drive is unique in that it fits the flavor "requirement" while also giving Voodoll a competitive "edge".

And lastly, I might as well mention the "obvious choice" which is Volt Absorb as that is Voodoom's primary ability and gives Voodoll the Electric immunity while also keeping it in line with the abilities its evolved form has.
 
I'll suggest Limber. Voodoll isn't armed with a needle yet, and thus can't completely absorb electricity, but those pins might be able to siphon lingering electricity that might induce paralysis.

I agree with adding Cursed Body, because it's a Voodoo Doll, and puncturing a Voodoo Doll results in curses.
 
Static sounds really good on Voodoll. I like the idea of introducing these electricity based abilities to a non-electric type Pokemon, and it makes for some interesting discussion. I also believe Battery and Anger Point, or maybe even Berserk to be interesting ideas for Voodoll. Motor Drive, an idea that was mentioned above, seems pretty good as well. Finally, I also like the idea of Iron Barbs or Rough Skin, if Voodoll's sprite has a pin or needle or whatever, like Voodoom does. As for the already mentioned abilities, I like Lightning Rod and Cursed Body the best. I know i have a lot of suggestions, but the idea behind that i to get more unusual but fitting ideas out there.

Also, it was mentioned in the previous thread about Voodoll's typing that we should not consider competitive benefits, but what about Little Cup? There is an entire tier on Smogon for Little Cup, so competitive benefits, while not primarily important, should be considered jut a little bit in my opinion. Agree or disagree if you want, I just want to help create an awesome Pokemon.
 
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Quanyails

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Honestly, I'd keep the abilities the same. Voodoll has pins which allow it to attract electricity harmlessly for Volt Absorb and Lightning Rod, and it's still a voodoo doll for the purposes of Cursed Body. Game Freak doesn't give pre-evos "weaker" versions of abilities unless it's something completely irrelevant like Run Away.

I don't exactly see Voodoll as brimming with ions. Voodoom absorbs electricity and redirects it, so why would Voodoll be able to generate electricity on its own? It's like giving Static to a Ground-type Pokemon because Ground-type Pokemon can nullify electricity. There's little connection besides the fact that both abilities are electricity-related.

I prefer Rough Skin to Iron Barbs, since Voodoll's pins have rounded tips. :P

I'm looking at Shuppet/Banette for a Pokemon with similar flavor. The line already has Cursed Body, and Insomnia would make sense for a creepy animated doll. I might add a few thoughts on other abilities in an edit.

Edit: I like Limber as a "weaker" form of nullifying electricity. Looking over at Stufful/Bewear (since both lines are based on plush toys), Unnerve is nice and spooky.
 
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jas61292

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I don't think there is any problem with Voodoom's abilities, and I see no reason to not just sick with them. Most Pokemon do not change abilities on evo (I believe) and there is nothing different enough about Voodoll that makes any of those abilities less fitting to have than on Voodoom.

Volt Absorb / Lightning Rod / Cursed Body is a perfect fit here.
 
It doesn't happen a lot, but it's not a special occasion either. From the looks of it, it typically happens when there's a large physiological difference between the evolutions, or if the prevo has an Ability like Run Away or Pickup that is generally kept to NFEs. I don't think Voodoll qualifies, so it should probably stay the same. Even if I'm not a huge fan of Volt Absorb.
 
I'm in favor of keeping all three of Voodoom's abilities for Voodoll, as they all work well with its design. Of the abilities suggested so far, the only one I kinda like is Static. It's not particularly great from a flavor standpoint considering that no non-Electric-types get the ability, but the same can be said for Volt Absorb and Voodoom so I'm willing to look past that.
 

G-Luke

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I like Unnerve, but Cursed Body fits with the theme well enough. I like Static being in place of Lightning Rod rather than Volt Absorb, as if you note Voodoom has a giant metal needle through its chest to act as a literal lightning rod, while Voodoll doesn't. Every Pokemon that has access to lightning Rod as either a body part or feature that can act as a lightning rod or its part electric, which Voodoll is neither.

So for me, Volt Absorb / Static / Cursed Body
 
I give my support to Volt Absorb / Lightningrod / Cursed Body, aka Voodoom's existing set; this is because Voodoll doesn't differ enough in design from Voodoom to constitute switching abilities. If we do decide to swap abilities, however, I would like to second Unnerve, possibly as a replacement for Cursed Body. Unnerve references the ubiquity of the creepy/possessed doll tropes, and subtly hints that there is something evil or magical/cursed about Voodoll which hasn't been fully realized.

In summary, I support either Volt Absorb / Lightningrod / Cursed Body or Volt Absorb / Lightningrod / Unnerve. I would also like to say, for what it's worth, that if we are dropping one of Voodoll's electric-immunity abilities, we should ditch Volt Absorb. Voodoll still has quite a few pins in its body, and as a result it makes much more flavor sense to draw incoming electricity specifically into said pins than to vaguely absorb electricity by other means.
 
Not much to say here without echoing off of what other people said so far, so im going to support Voodoom's Abilities (Volt Absorb / Lightningrod / Cursed Body). If that doesn't win, replacing one of the electric abilities with Static, or replacing Cursed Body with Unnerve will be fine with me.

Just going to say my opinions on other abilities that have been suggested

  • Motor Drive- Not a motor, simple as that. Also all Pokemon that have it are electric type (except for Pokestar Studios, but that doesn't matter)
  • Insomnia- Acupuncture can actually be used to treat insomnia, surprisingly enough.
  • Limber- Could work, but some forms of paralysis are not electric type (Glare, Body Slam, etc.)
  • Battery- It doesn't generate it's own electricity, also similarly to Krillowatt (which isn't a Battery), did not win in the ability poll because it is a signature ability to Charjabug
  • Anger Point, Berserk- I don't see this thing as a Pokemon that could randomly get angry and lash out with super powerful hits, and why would Voodoom not have Berserk when this thing would. It's pretty much always angry.
  • Iron Barbs, Rough Skin- Could be interesting, but Iron Barbs wouldn't work design wise because none of the tips of the pins are exposed. And Rough Skin wouldn't work because a doll would be soft, unless the stitches are taken into consideration.
Edit:
I support
Volt Absorb / Lightningrod / Cursed Body
Volt Absorb / Static / Cursed Body
Static / Lightningrod / Cursed Body
Volt Absorb / Lightningrod / Unnerve

 
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I'm a personal fan of Static, as it makes sense for it to be unable to really control its electrical powers yet, but it still has them to a degree. Other than that, the current abilities are fine. My ideal combination is Static/Lightning Rod/Cursed Body.
 

DHR-107

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OK Guys, can we decide what order we want abilities to be in if they have been suggested? What might turn into what? We've had lots of good suggestions and you can still make them, but let's see if we can get some ordering going!

Voodoom is: Volt Absorb / Lightningrod / Cursed Body (Primary/Secondary/Hidden). Try and keep it in this format so we know which ability turns into which!
 

nv

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For Voodoll, I would love for the order to be Volt Absorb/Static/Cursed Body as the more I look into it, the more I love Static and I feel like taking away the "better ability" competitively makes for a more flavorful approach and could potentially allow Voodoll to differ itself a bit from its evolved form while also giving it an Electric immunity if it wants. I also really like Static so I want it to be incorporated somehow lol. Lastly, Static gives Voodoll options for abilities that punish contact moves since Cursed Body can disable a Pokemon's move while Static paralyzes them.

I would also second Volt Absorb/Lightning Rod/Cursed Body just to have consistency with its evolved form, but I feel like Lightning Rod wouldn't fit consistency / flavor wise since it lacks the large pin needle that Voodoom has.
 

LucarioOfLegends

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I pretty much am with the common Volt Absorb/Static/Cursed Body choice, as it still reflects Voodoom's ability list, but adds a bit of differentiation to Voodoll, as it cannot properly channel electricity yet. So, it can accidentally release random, spontaneous discharges. Cursed Body makes sense because of its whole idea as a voodoo doll, which is naturally considered a cursed object. Finally, Volt Absorb rounds out Static's logic as a way to harness the electricity, but not actually use it. I just really like this option.
 
I would choose Volt Absorb/Static/Rough Skin. I reviewed my own suggestions from above along with the other posts on this thread and this is what I came up with. Im interested in everyone else's opinion on this idea.
 
I'd like to suggest a set of abilities which hasn't been discussed yet: Insomnia / Unnerve / Cursed Body, complete with a brief discussion on the three.

Insomnia fits well on Voodoll not only because many weak Dark-type Pokemon possess the ability, but also due to the fact that it can be fluffed as latent electrical abilities within Voodoll which prevent it from resting efficiently. Unnerve has been discussed by myself (and others) earlier in the thread, so I won't waste time recapping it. Cursed Body fits beautifully from a flavor perspective, and allows Voodoll's line to share at least one ability.

Also, I would like to weigh in on a popular topic of discussion: replacing Lightningrod. If anything, I feel that Volt Absorb is the erroneous Electric-immunity ability for Voodoll. Voodoll may lack a large main needle with which to channel electricity, but it does possess the necessary aesthetic to draw in lighting through a smaller pin. Thus, I feel that it is far less sensical to say that it can somehow convert electricity into positive energy via Volt Absorb, which feels like a gigantic "hand wave," per se, given that Voodoll is neither an Electric-type nor necessarily in possession of any powerful electrical abilities.
 

G-Luke

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I'd like to point out how Static is actually a flavourful option (moreso than either Volt Absorb or Lightning Rod)

Everyone knows that cloth and stuffed materials can gain Static cling, which lets it stick to stuff with opposite charge. Voodoll is a stuffed doll and Static literally acknowledges this. Plus, whats more creepy than a Voodoo doll thats stuck on you?

Just something I'd share
 

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I almost never post in prevo projects, but since you guys are doing Voodoll, I couldn't resist giving some input on the flavor background I had in mind when I made the Voodoom design. I am not saying this is prescriptive or anything. But just a few notes about Voodoll, since I really do think the work I put in on Voodoll probably went a long way in helping the Voodoom design to win. And I had a lot of fun imagining a big backstory for Voodoom and its evolution, which I why I bothered to make the Voodoll artwork, name, and even a sprite!

Here is the original "Evolution Story" I posted with the Voodoom art:

Evolution Story said:
It begins life as a baby pokemon called Voodoll, taking punishment as it is given, and doling pain back out to intended victims. There's not much the baby can do about it. It's a sad little pokemon. Voodoll gets key moves like Pain Split and Metal Burst, to represent how its primary role is to take abuse. As time goes by, the pokemon gets more and more beat up (Ah, Beat Up... another perfect move it should learn).

The "kill spot" for any real voodoo doll, is the heart. With a pin to the heart, the intended victim is supposed to die, and according to legend, the magic of the voodoo doll dies at the same time. Well this pokemon has a slightly different twist on that theme.

The pin to the heart is actually part of a magic evolution ceremony, for young Voodolls to mature. The ceremony is held in the middle of a thunderstorm. The steel pin punctures the heart, and acts as a lightning rod for a thunderbolt to strike. When the lightning strikes it, the Voodoll evolves into a new raging form (just like Frankenstein's monster is animated by lightning). In the new form, the pokemon does not just take punishment, but dishes it out as well... Beware the black magic wrath of -- Voodoom!

Voodoll learns Thundershock by level-up. If a Voodoll levels up with the move Thundershock in its moveset, then it evolves into a Voodoom. Just like how Mamoswine evolves from a Piloswine with AncientPower. Same thing here, but it signifies the thunderbolt ceremony that allows this pokemon to gain a "new life".
Ignore all the move stuff in there, because I think Jibaku went with Charge as the key electric level-up flavor move anyway, and it has awesome flavor for the story of "powering up" Voodoom too.

The key thing with Voodoll is that it is a very sad little voodoo doll. It is somewhat newly-made and in good shape. But it has already been stuck with a few pins, and it's sad about the gloomy future in store. It has to just sit there and take abuse. But after it becomes a Voodoom, it's pissed off and ready for retribution - hence the change from Normal to Fighting primary typing. You'll notice Voodoll's big eye button is fully round, while Voodoom's eye button is cracked. The idea here is that between the time sad little Voodoll becomes a vengeful Voodoom, it has taken a lot of punishment and the damage shows.

I don't know which abilities align with this story that aren't too much or too good. Maybe No Guard, because it has to just sit there and take punishment? I dunno.... Anyway, I'm not posting to really make ability suggestions. Mostly just wanted to give a little flavor background blast from the past!

Good luck with Voodoll!
 

G-Luke

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See^

Clearly states that it gains its Lightning Rod capabilities through evolution. Static also seems to play to its taking punishment theme. Just a bigger reason as to why Static over Lightning Rod is a more flavourful choice.
 
See^

Clearly states that it gains its Lightning Rod capabilities through evolution. Static also seems to play to its taking punishment theme. Just a bigger reason as to why Static over Lightning Rod is a more flavourful choice.
Static does not fit with Doug's evolution story. Static punishes attackers for abusing Voodoll, and Doug clearly stated that Voodoll's retribution occurs after it evolves. This breaks the "taking punishment theme" because it retaliates to punishment as a Voodoll. Additionally, campaigning to lose Lightningrod completely ignores the fact that Voodoll's ceremony involves being struck by lightning to trigger its evolution, which means that it needs a way to draw said lightning to itself in the first place, not mentioning the many pins it already has in its body. If we truly need to give Voodoll an ability related to electricity, Lightningrod is the best choice, not the worst.
 
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Quanyails

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Hmm... Volt Absorb/Lightning Rod/Static I could see, since Static and Cursed Body both deal with the opponent the opponent hitting Voodoll. I'm neutral on Lightning Rod being replaced; several Pokemon don't have horns/pointy parts and yet still have Lightning Rod as an ability, but you can't deny that Voodoom's needle is what makes Lightning Rod.

Besides Volt Absorb / Lightning Rod / Cursed Body:

For Unnerve and Insomnia, neither ability are really electricity-related, so I'd probably put it in the Hidden Ability slot, so potential abilities would be:

Volt Absorb / Lightning Rod / Unnerve
Volt Absorb / Lightning Rod / Insomnia


Limber is electricity-related, so I'd replace one of the other electricity-related abilities.

Limber / Lightning Rod / Cursed Body
Volt Absorb / Limber / Cursed Body


Inner Focus is another ability that fits Doug's flavor reasoning. Voodoll doesn't flinch when others deal damage to it, and the more I think about it, the more I like how it fits. So probably something like Volt Absorb / Lightning Rod / Inner Focus.
 
I'm on board with Limber / Lightningrod / Cursed Body. Acupuncture can treat paralysis, and those needles can drain out lingering electricity in Voodoll that might induce paralysis. Volt Absorb would be the one to take out because Voodoll isn't known to plunge a pin into its heart to channel electricity into healing until it's ready to evolve into Voodoom. Voodoll's life is about taking punishment, and Volt Absorb limits its ability to take in electrical punishment. Yes, Lightningrod does do the same, but Voodoll would need such capabilities in order to evolve anyway, and those pins might be effective at drawing in the sort.
 
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