Investigations

The world of Pokemon Aetherium is a vast and mysterious place full of things waiting to be discovered! If you're courageous enough, why not venture out and see what you can find.

What are Investigations?

Investigations are a chance for you to explore the world of Aetherium! Along the way you may find items or Pokemon. Just be aware that some Pokemon might be more friendly than others...

Once a week you can choose a biome to investigate, and from there have the potential to find items or Pokemon! Simply write about, or draw your characters or Pokemon checking out the biome of your choice. Drawn Investigations require a Colored Fullbody and a Detailed Background. Written Investigations require at least 500 words. Do note you are not locked into the biomes within your kingdom with Investigations! If there's a biome you wish to investigate on the other side of the continent, you're free to investigate it. We can assume that your pokemon and characters are able to get around the continent one way or another.

You're free to investigate more than once a week with or without items! Investigations after your first in a given week will suffer from a reduced chance of finding high rarity pokemon and items, but this can be alleviated by using a Camping Gear, which will restore your rarity chances for the investigation you use the item on. You are free to complete multiple investigations in a single submission, provided you meet the combined requirements for them.

Biomes

The biomes that are able to be investigated are the same ones you find on Aetherium's world map. Each biome has its own unique trio of types located within, which dictate the types of pokemon that you can find within.

• Marsh (Poison, Bug, Water)
• Tundra (Ice, Ghost, Steel)
• Desert (Ground, Fire, Rock)
• Mountains (Ground, Dragon, Electric)
• Temperate Forest (Grass, Poison, Dark)
• Grassland (Grass, Normal, Fairy)
• Tropical Forest (Bug, Fairy, Psychic)
• Scrubland (Fire, Fighting, Flying)
• Barren (Steel, Rock, Psychic)
• Savanna (Electric, Normal, Fighting)
• Pine Forest (Ice, Dark, Ghost)
• Ocean (Water, Flying, Dragon)
• Coastal (Water, Ground, Fairy)

Items

There are multiple items that can be used to customize your Investigations! A player may use a Camping Gear and one other item per investigation.

• Camping Gear - Can be used to do another Investigation during the week without a drop in rarity
• Malasada - Allows you to only find Pokemon on your Investigation
• Pure Incense - Allows you to only find items on your Investigation
• Scope Lens - Allows you to narrow your Investigation to a single type in a specific Biome. For example, only searching for Fire types in the Desert Biome. No items can be found if you use this item.
• Claim Stake - Allows you to find guaranteed Land Claims on your Investigation
• Ancient Map - Guarantees an Encounter while on your Investigation
• Adrenaline Orb - Increases your chance at finding rarer Pokemon or items
• Pass Orb - Allows you to re-roll what you find on an Investigation. Used once your investigation is complete.

Encounters

The continent of Aetherium is alive in its own way. When you Investigate an area, you may run into pokemon or situations that you didn't expect. These Encounters are bonus prompts, which are entirely optional and generated in addition to your normal Investigation rewards. They can be anything from encountering pokemon in peril to dangerous weather patterns and all manner of other events, many of which are specific to the biome in which they take place. Encounters normally occur 1/4th of the time, however use of an Ancient Map will guarantee that you receive an Encounter.

When you do receive an Encounter, you're free to let us know that you would rather pass it up and move on if you don't want to deal with it. This will not get you any additional prizes, but takes no additional effort. Otherwise you may respond with either a Sketched Partial body and a short description of your character's/pokemon's response to the situation, or a paragraph response describing your character's/pokemon's response to the situation. Depending on your response to situations you may get anything from additional stats and levels to rare items to pokemon and eggs!

Landmarks and Special Biomes

The land of Aetherium has a storied and checkered past. Many regions of the continent hold holy places or sites of major events. Often times the rules of reality seem to bend slightly in places like these, and echoes of myth and history resonate through them.

Landmarks are places visible on the map, similarly to Player and NPC Domains. Players may Investigate a Landmark in the same way they would Investigate a Biome. Landmarks have their own type combination, and may include unique encounters available only to them.

Landmarks are unimplemented in the initial alpha release, however the moderation team is putting together a variety of interesting and unique encounters such that they can be Investigated as soon as possible! Stay tuned!

Rewards

Items and Pokemon found during Investigations are ranked based on rarity. Your chances of finding higher rarity pokemon and items can be increased by using an Adrenaline Orb during your Investigation