Welcome to the Syrien Region

Getting Started

How to I get started?
Firstly, you need to register. This can be done here. It is pretty self-explanatory on how to proceed. Once your registration has been accepted your profile will be created. Once this is done you must include a link to your profile in your signature.

Following a successful registration and profile creation, you may then begin your journey in the region of your choice, by posting in the first town in that region.

How do I add a link to my profile to my signature?
You will need the URL to your profile topic, found in this forum. Once you have the URL click on the "My Controls" link, situated below the banner advertisements on the top of the page. Then, click on the link "Edit Signature", found down the side of the page.

You can use the following code to edit the link into your profile, or simply click on the "http://" button, just above the text box. You will then get a popup box, in which you need to paste your URL, followed by a second box, which is what the link will appear as.

To use the code, simply paste the URL of your profile page where it says "link" and edit the words "My Profile" to what you want.

It is easiest if you name your link something simple, like "My Profile", since it allowed the moderators to find the link without searching. Of course, you may use images, etc. for the link, it is up to you.

Pokémon: Catching, Training and Battling

How do I catch Pokémon?
To catch a Pokémon you must find one in any route first. You may NOT catch Pokémon belonging to a trainer. You just need to weaken it, but be careful not to knock it out as you will not be able to catch a Pokémon that is knocked out. After that try and catch it by throwing PokéBalls. If it is not caught you should try to weaken it more, or try a different Ball. You may not choose which Pokémon you face and if you catch them or not after throwing a Ball. That is wholly the choice of the moderator in charge of updating your journey at the time.

What happens if my Pokémon is knocked out in battle?
Once your Pokémon is knocked out it is not able to participate in battles until it is healed in a Pokémon Centre or healed by an item, like Revive.

If all your Pokémon are knocked out before you can heal them then you “black out”, which means you must return to the town you were previously at and start your journey again from that point (all Pokémon caught, money and items gained, etc. during that time are still kept).

Lastly, your Pokémon’s happiness will be reduced if it is knocked out.

What moves can my Pokémon use?
Your Pokémon can use any attacks that it learns naturally at and below the level it is currently on. Moves that your Pokémon learns at a higher level than it is are not usable.

For a Pokémon to learn TM, HM, Move Tutor or Egg Moves you will need the relevant item or send your Pokémon to a Move Tutor. Both normal Move Tutor and Egg moves can be learnt via the Move Tutor for the price of one heartscale. Egg moves can also be learnt through breeding, as can all the other moves be carried forward from the older generation.

This RPG uses the current Diamond/Pearl movesets, so if you are unsure about your Pokémon's moves, then refer to Serebii.net.

How do my Pokémon learn TM/HM moves?
For your Pokémon to learn a TM/HM move, you need to have the required TM/HM and the Pokémon must be able to learn that move. Remember than TMs may only be used once. After you have used the item on the Pokémon, it must use the move four to five times, in or out of battle, before it has successfully learnt it. After that it functions as a normal move in the moveset.

How do I use items?
To use a normal item, like a Potion, you simply need to state that you are going to use it and the moderator should have updated it by the next post. If the moderator has failed to do that remind them politely in your next post. Please specify which Pokémon you are using it on, because moderators cannot read your mind.

If you wish to a Ball to catch a Pokémon you simply state that when you want to use the item. (More on catching Pokémon above.)

If you wish to attach an item it can be done in the same way as using a normal item. Just mention it in your post and the moderator should update it in your profile. Berries come under normal and attachable items.

For more information on evolving with items refer to the evolution guide.

Happiness, Hit Points and Experience
For information on happiness, hit points and experience please visit the RPG Mechanics section. Here you will find several useful guides on aspects of the RPG.

Town Facilities and RPG Extras

How do I heal my Pokémon?
When you are in a town, you may visit the Pokémon Centre. To do this, steer your journey by letting the moderator know you wish to heal your Pokémon. You do not need to begin a separate topic for Pokémon Centre visits.

How does the PokéMart International work?
Instead of there being PokéMarts in the towns you pass through, you will create a topic in that forum and all your purchases will be made there. You may only buy from the PokéMart International if you are in a town. You might not be able to access all the items available at the shop, as there will be a limit to the items you may buy depending on how far you are in your journey.

What is the Plaza for?
The Plaza allows members to set up their own stalls and sell items of theirs. They set the prices and retain all the profits. It is a place to find items that aren't available in the PokéMart International.

What is the Community Hall about?
The Community Hall is a place for trainers to meet and do various things that aren't available in the RP, but are part of it. It includes the Trade Centre, the Adoption House, the Move Tutor, with Egg Move Tutor, the Day Care Centre and the Berry Patch.

Trade Centre
The Trade Centre allows members to trade with other members. They can either arrange a trade with a specific member before hand, or simply offer Pokémon for trade. Items may only be traded if attached to a Pokémon, and money may never be traded. All trades must be fair, and please follow the trading guidelines.

Adoption House
From time to time Pokémon will be abandoned and come into the care of the Adoption House. If this happens members may adopt an available Pokémon for a small price. Members may also abandon a Pokémon for a price if they wish. It will then be offered for adoption.
Team Rocket auctions off stolen Pokémon once in a while. These are usually rare, but therefore pricey. Check the sub-forum for any open auctions.

Move Tutor
The Move Tutor allows members to have their Pokémon learn moves that they sometimes would not naturally learn. It requires a heartscale, but is usually worth the price.

Day Care Centre
When members do not have the time to raise their Pokémon the alternative is to have them raised in the Day Care Centre. The costs can be found in the forum.
Breeding also happens in the Day Care Centre, and all eggs are free. However, if they are not collected within 5 days, then they will be kept by the Day Care Centre. All eggs hatch at Lv. 1.

Berry Patch
Although there are no berry growing soils found through the journeys, it is possible to have berries grown by capable berry growers at the Berry Patch. Depending on the season any type of berry, it will not be hard to bake that PokéBread for your Pokémon to shine in contests.

Contests

Where are the contests?
There are no contest halls situated in towns. Instead, the contests will happen randomly across the regions. If you are in a town where a contest is happening you are free to participate. There will be no specific categories, as Pokémon will be judged individually according to how they have been raised.
The Grand Festival will only be accessible if you have five ribbons from various towns. It usually takes place in the city that holds the eighth gym.

How do contests work?
Contests will have members against members, with NPCs filling in spaces. Contests can have a maximum of sixteen participants and a minimum of eight.
The first round will consist of Pokémon appealing with a routine consisting of up to four attacks. If a Pokémon has had its condition raised this will be taken into account here. Highly descriptive posts will gain more points. Four participants will advance to the next round.
The second round will be battling. The participants will be paired off in one versus one single battles. The Pokémon used may have to be different from the Pokémon used in the first round, depending on the contest rules.
The final round will have the two winners from the previous round battle for the contest ribbon.

Miscellaneous Questions

What are pinned topics?
Pinned topics can be found all over the site. They are mainly there to help members find out how certain things work. You can tell if a topic is pinned because it has a mini Moltres animation next to it and is usually the first topic (at the top of the forum) of a forum. This FAQ is also a pinned topic.

What do I do if a moderator does not reply to my journey?
It can happen that a moderator has missed your journey, or that you have not been updated for a few days. Before you go and complain, please check that your post complies with all the rules. In some cases moderators will PM you to notify you that you have to edit your post, but always check. If your journey has not been updated in two or more days you may request a reply in the topic pinned in the Questions forum. Please do not resort to PMing moderators, otherwise you will be less likely to be replied to. Also, it is important to remember that moderators have lives too, and they will not be available 24/7. If they do not get to your journey immediately have a little patience.

What are emoticons?
Emoticons are the little images that appear. On the side of posts you will see click able smilies. Those are emoticons. Emoticons off all Pokémon, and some items and trainer sprites, are available on Syrien Region.

How do I use emoticons?
To have the image appear all you need to do is place the Pokémon's name between :'s. E.g.

will turn out



once the post is posted.

To have a shiny sprite appear you just need to add a letter.

will make



For female sprites add an 'f' at the end of the name, and for shiny female sprites add 'fs' to the end of the Pokémon's name.

There are two special cases, Unown and Deoxys. There will be a default Unown sprite (the letter A) under

and this will follow the same shiny rule with:

For all other Unown sprites simply add the letter of the Unown you desire after the word. At this stage there will be no shiny sprites for each individual letter.

Deoxys will have its normal form sprite as the default, then to have the sprite for any of its other forms appear, simply add the first letter of that form to the end of Deoxys's name such as

will be



For shiny sprites just add an 's' to the end of the name. At this stage I am still looking for shiny sprites of all the forms to upload.

Since both are genderless, there will be no female sprites for them.

Items are the same as Pokémon emoticons. E.g.

will appear as



Other important emoticons are the male and female symbol, as well as type emoticons. For type emoticons just do as you would with items or Pokémon and have the type in the middle of the :'s. For the male and female the codes are:

for and

For an egg sprite just use:

There might be varying colours later, but now there will be just one default egg sprite.

That is all there is to emoticons.