Ditto: How it Works, How to Work it, How to RP it

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atonofkittys
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Ditto: How it Works, How to Work it, How to RP it

Post: # 7569Post atonofkittys »

Hello, everyone! Lore Team here, cuz it’s time to talk DITTO. We all know Ditto, like… really know Ditto, and what’s not to love about the cute purple blob? Short answer: Nothing. Long answer: Ehh, Ditto can be really confusing, especially with the transition from the games to role play, with what it can do and can’t do and how to go about dealing with the abilities. So that’s what we’re going to talk about here! All things Ditto!
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First things first:
In its natural state, Ditto is a light purple or magenta free-form shape blob with vestigial facial features. It also appears to have two vestigial, handless 'arms' protruding from its body. It is capable of transforming into an exact replica of any physical object. However, if Ditto tries to transform into something based on memory, it may get some of the details wrong. The anime has shown that occasionally a Ditto cannot change its face. Ditto will also be unable to remain in a transformed state if it starts laughing. Ditto cannot mimic the strength of another Pokémon, but it will adapt the form and abilities of its foe. When two Ditto meet in the wild, they will attempt to transform into each other. Ditto will also transform into a rock when sleeping to avoid attack. Ditto is never far from civilization or people.
-Bulbapedia
I reference Bulbapedia a lot when hammering out lore for the server, and it's undoubtedly my most valued resource, so we'll go through what they have, bulleting things as they become relevant.

The start to the Ditto lore is obvious:
  • i. Ditto can transform into an exact replica of any physical object in sight.
    • If trainer Queso is in a battle with trainer KC, and trainer KC is using a Probopass against trainer Queso's Ditto, the Ditto can transform its body into an exact copy of the Probopass. This transformation allows the Ditto to use any of the Probopass’s four moves, its ability, and physical characteristics. It will by no means be as strong as the pixelmon it is replicating, however. If I were to put on a karate uniform and mimic the moves of a karate master in front of me, I might be able to go through the motions as the master does, but I won’t necessarily know how to use them effectively, without proper training. The case is the same here. Concentration is also a huge factor in the Ditto retaining its transformation. As listed in the Bulbapedia description, something distracting like being tickled would break the transformation, so make sure you are including this in your role play!

      It is also important to remember Ditto will make a literal copy of what's in front of it, as they cannot grasp transforming into a concept of something. This includes but is not limited to images depicted in pictures, books, oral descriptions, etc. Telling a Ditto to transform into a Dratini shown in a book will cause it to transform into a book. This cannot be trained out of a Ditto; they will always have this shortcoming.
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Speaking of training and silly Ditto faces, this segways into the next rule.
  • ii. Ditto that are not trained well will have imperfect transformations.
    • It can either be in the case of Duplica’s Ditto from the anime where it can’t quite get the face right or a similar imperfection. As it is trained and practices transforming, these imperfections can become less and less obvious. In rare cases, a Ditto that has trained and practiced for years can be able to transform perfectly.
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  • iii. Ditto can have up to three remembered transformations.
    • To provide more versatility and usability for Ditto, we are allowing the Ditto to be able to remember, at most, three transformations. The transformation will be able to be committed to memory after it has been practiced quite a few times, with the Ditto being able to remember one form during the early stages of its training, the next after more time has passed, and the third form only after a long time of training and practice. These transformations, no matter the Ditto, will not be perfect. There will always be some flaw, and if a character of yours is going to use a Ditto, we expect it to be emoted properly. An example is shown below.
      A Meowth strolls by a crowd of people on the street, its tail swaying behind it gracefully, though it seems to be missing whiskers.
      With a remembered transformation, a Ditto can recall up to two moves used by the original pixelmon. For example, if trainer Rosy's Ditto has committed a Charizard transformation to memory, it could remember using Flamethrower and Dragon Rage, but anything more is too much for it. These moves must be decided when the transformation is remembered and cannot be changed at will. The Charizard cannot forgot how to use Dragon Rage mid-battle and remember suddenly how to use Solar Beam. It is important to note that these moves are considerably weaker than if the actual pixelmon was using them. They will not be able to match up to the real thing, as Ditto are inherently weak pixelmon and continue to be weak even after transforming.
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  • iv. Ditto can take from any of its remembered transformations to partially transform.
    • Partial transformations happen when a Ditto has taken on a form, then transforms a section of its body into another form. As an example, trainer Snow has a Ditto that remembers how to transform into a Sandslash, and he called out Trainer Kampf for a battle, who uses a Crobat. Trainer Snow's Ditto takes on the form of the Crobat then dives out of the air towards the opposing pixelmon. Remembering the spiny back of the Sandslash, the Ditto partially transforms to give its back the spines of the Sandslash before it strikes to make the attack more effective. Your Ditto can only be a combination of one form and one partial transformation at any one time. Sorry, but no weird, globby monster mashes. A Ditto can also only remember one move from the remembered transformation while partially transformed. Trainer Snow’s Ditto may remember how to use Gyro Ball and Poison Jab while in its remembered Sandslash form; however, it would only be able to use one of those moves in the example provided above.
  • v. Ditto has limits.
    • Although Ditto can typically remember any form it wants, there are some exceptions. In battle, Ditto can replicate a Mega Evolved Pokemon at full strength. However, much like Mega Evolution, keeping the state maintained out of battle is very draining for the Pokemon. Ditto are naturally somewhat lazy and / or weak Pokemon, they have no motivation to hold the draining form outside of being actively in battle, and will likely transform back as soon as the threat is gone. Because they lack the ability to connect with a mega stone / keystone combo to give them energy for the drain, a Mega Evolution form cannot be one of Ditto's remembered forms.
    • Because Ditto isn't the smartest Pokemon, it has some odd interactions with moves. For example, Ditto cannot fully use Teleport with a remembered transformation. When Ditto memorizes the form of the Pokemon with Teleport, they also are locked into a specific teleport anchor known by the original Pokemon! They can only have one anchor (even if the original Pokemon had multiple), and this anchor can not be changed by the Ditto. Remember - always double-check with Lore Team if you have questions above Ditto remembering a specific move that seems like it might work weirdly!
    • Although Ditto can mimic the physical structure of a Telepathic Pokemon and copy the special properties that allow it to communicate thusly, it does not gain any additional intelligence that would allow it to fully take the place of a Telepath.
      • As Ditto is not naturally a smart Pokemon, and is in fact a rather dumb and uncreative being, it doesn't have the ability to package its words up and send any messages to its trainer. The trainer can still send messages to it just fine, though.
      • Because it's a copy, and therefore not a perfect original, its range is significantly shortened to 8 meters (regardless of Happiness) when fully transformed.
      • Ditto is capable of mimicking Telepthy when partially transformed, but it's not a terribly subtle or refined process. The partial transformation must involve the completely-formed head of a telepathic Pokemon, and works only at touch range. This also takes up all the move slots for the transformation, as it focuses on mimicking the structure of the Pokemon's brain. Therefore, the main use of this tends to be movie special effects, where they follow instructions given by their "puppeteer".
    • The other main limit relates to Legendary Pokemon and special specific cases. Ditto is not capable of using Imposter or Transform on a Legendary Pokemon - if it attempts to use it, the move will fail to complete. It can change itself to physically resemble the Legendary through manual shapeshifting effort, but the copy will be visibly imperfect (like a bootleg of a knockoff) and the form will have about as much power as a weak Pokemon of that type. The transformation will only grant access to the "generic" / "classic" moves of the Legendary's typing (Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, etc). Beyond Legendaries, Ditto are also unable to remember / fully transform into various ultra-specific unique Pokemon such as the Giant Tentacruel that's said to lurk deep offshore of Cobalt or the Vincilego. These exceptions only ever show up in events, so ask the DM if you're ever unsure about trying to use Transform on these and you'll get a quick answer!
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And there's the Ditto lore! With more and more people obtaining these special little blobs, it was necessary to write some concrete rules. If you have any questions regarding anything listed above, feel free to ask them in the #lore-questions channel on our Discord and Lore Team will try to clear any confusion. Have fun on the server!
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