Telepathy - Ability ID 140

In-Game Description

"Protects team from friendly fire."

Extended In-Game Description

For use in Elite Redux extended ability UI (IMPORTANT: exactly 280-300 chars counted WITH spaces)

Telepathy protects the Pokémon from all damage-dealing moves used by its allies in double or triple battles. This includes spread moves like Earthquake, Surf, and Discharge that would normally hit all Pokémon on the field. The ability provides complete immunity from friendly fire damage.

Character count: 286

Detailed Mechanical Explanation

Telepathy is a defensive ability that provides complete protection from damage caused by the Pokémon's allies in multi-battle formats. The implementation shows:

1. Complete Friendly Fire Immunity: The ability checks if the move is targeting a partner (ally) and if the move has power (is damage-dealing). If both conditions are met, it sets the damage modifier to 0, completely negating the damage.

2. Implementation Details:

   • Uses onAfterTypeEffectiveness hook to modify damage after type calculations
   • Checks if target == BATTLE_PARTNER(battler) to identify ally attacks
   • Only blocks moves with power (gBattleMoves[move].power > 0)
   • Sets *mod = 0 to completely nullify damage

3. Scope of Protection:

   • Protects from all damage-dealing moves from allies
   • Includes both direct attacks and spread moves
   • Does not protect from status moves or other non-damaging effects
   • Only works on moves that would deal damage (have a power value)

4. Ability Properties:

   • Marked as breakable = TRUE, meaning it can be suppressed by abilities like Mold Breaker
   • Uses APPLY_ON_ATTACKER_OR_TARGET flag, allowing it to work from either perspective

5. Common Use Cases:

   • Allows safe use of Earthquake alongside Ground-weak allies
   • Enables Surf strategies without damaging Water-weak partners
   • Permits Discharge usage without harming Electric-weak teammates
   • Generally enables more aggressive spread move strategies in doubles/triples

This ability is particularly valuable in double and triple battles where spread moves are common, allowing for more flexible team compositions and strategies without worrying about damaging your own team members.