Ability variations

The subject of this article has no official name. The name currently in use is a fan designator; see below for more information.

Ability variations are Abilities that are identical to each other in general, but are slightly different in some ways. For example, Moxie boosts the user's Attack if it knocks out an opposing Pokémon; Grim Neigh is mechanically the same but boosts Special Attack instead. Below are the various Ability archetypes and the Abilities that fall into their categories.

Ability archetypes are listed in alphabetical order. Within each archetype table, Abilities are listed by generation. Within each generation, Abilities are listed alphabetically.

In-battle variations

Variations of Adaptability

Powers up certain moves
Name	Moves	Power Multiplier	Generation
Adaptability	Moves with same-type attack bonus	1.33×*	IV
Iron Fist	Punching moves	1.2×	IV
Reckless	Moves that have recoil	1.2×	IV
Technician	Moves with a power of 60 or less	1.5×	IV
Tinted Lens	Moves that are not very effective	2×	IV
Mega Launcher	Aura and pulse moves	1.5×	VI
Strong Jaw	Biting moves	1.5×	VI
Tough Claws	Moves involving contact	1.3×	VI
Steelworker	Steel-type moves	1.5×	VII
Neuroforce	Moves that are super effective	1.25×	VII
Punk Rock	Sound-based moves	1.3×	VIII
Steely Spirit*	Steel-type moves	1.5×	VIII
Transistor	Electric-type moves	1.3×*	VIII
Dragon's Maw	Dragon-type moves	1.5×	VIII
Rocky Payload	Rock-type moves	1.5×	IX
Sharpness	Slicing moves	1.5×	IX

Variations of Air Lock

Negates weather effects
Name	Generation
Air Lock	III
Cloud Nine	III

Variations of Arena Trap

Prevents the foe from escaping the battle
Name	Foes unaffected	Generation
Arena Trap	Flying- and Ghost-type* Pokémon, levitating Pokémon, Pokémon affected by Magnet Rise, Telekinesis, or holding an Air Balloon	III
Magnet Pull	Non-Steel-type Pokémon, Ghost-type* Pokémon	III
Shadow Tag	Other Pokémon with Shadow Tag*, Ghost-type* Pokémon	III

Variations of Aroma Veil

While active, user and teammates cannot be afflicted with certain effects
Name	Status condition	Generation
Aroma Veil	Taunt, Torment, Encore, Disable, Infatuation	VI
Flower Veil	Lowered stats, Non-volatile status conditions	VII
Pastel Veil	Poison	VIII
Sweet Veil	Sleep	VI

Variations of Battery

Powers up allies' moves by 30%
Name	Damage category	Generation
Battery	Special moves	VII
Power Spot	All moves	VIII

Variations of Battle Armor

Prevents being critically hit
Name	Generation
Battle Armor	III
Shell Armor	III

Variations of Blaze

Powers up moves of a certain type when the Pokémon's HP is low
Name	Type boosted	Generation
Blaze	Fire	III
Overgrow	Grass	III
Swarm	Bug	III
Torrent	Water	III

Variations of Chlorophyll

Doubles speed in a weather effect
Name	Weather effect	Generation
Chlorophyll	Harsh sunlight	III
Swift Swim	Rain	III
Sand Rush	Sandstorm	V
Slush Rush	Snow*	VII

Variations of Clear Body

Prevents all stats from being lowered
Name	Generation
Clear Body	III
White Smoke	III
Full Metal Body*	VII

Variations of Cute Charm

Contact moves may cause a status effect (30% chance)
Name	Status condition	Generation
Cute Charm	Infatuation	III
Effect Spore	Poison, Paralysis, or Sleep*	III
Flame Body	Burn	III
Poison Point	Poison	III
Static	Paralysis	III

Variations of Dark Aura

Boosts the power of a certain type of move by 33.3% for all Pokémon on the field
Name	Type boosted	Generation
Dark Aura	Dark	VI
Fairy Aura	Fairy	VI

Variations of Dauntless Shield

Raises a stat by one stage upon entry into battle
Name	Stat boosted	Generation
Dauntless Shield	Defense	VIII
Intrepid Sword	Attack	VIII

Variations of Dazzling

Prevents the opponents from using priority moves
Name	Generation
Dazzling	VII
Queenly Majesty	VII
Armor Tail	IX

Variations of Defiant

Boosts a stat sharply (2×) if any stat is lowered
Name	Stat boosted	Generation
Defiant	Attack	V
Competitive	Special Attack	VI

Variations of Drizzle

Activates a weather effect for five turns
Name	Weather effect	Generation
Drizzle	Rain	III
Drought	Harsh sunlight	III
Sand Stream	Sandstorm	III
Snow Warning	Snow*	IV
Sand Spit*	Sandstorm	VIII

Variations of Dry Skin

Reduces HP by ⅛ each turn in harsh sunlight
Name	Additional effect	Generation
Dry Skin	Raises HP by ⅛ each turn in rain	IV
Solar Power	Raises Special Attack by 50% in harsh sunlight	IV

Variations of Electric Surge

Creates the effect of a terrain altering move on the battlefield
Name	Terrain Alterator	Generation
Electric Surge	Electric Terrain	VII
Psychic Surge	Psychic Terrain	VII
Grassy Surge	Grassy Terrain	VII
Misty Surge	Misty Terrain	VII

Variations of Electromorphosis

When the Pokémon is hit by a move, it becomes charged
Name	Moves	Generation
Electromorphosis	All moves	IX
Wind Power	Wind moves	IX

Variations of Emergency Exit

Switches out at 50% or less HP
Name	Generation
Emergency Exit	VII
Wimp Out	VII

Variations of Filter

Lowers damage taken by super-effective moves to ¾ of the usual bonus
Name	Generation
Filter	IV
Solid Rock	IV
Prism Armor	VII

Variations of Gooey

Drops an attacker's Speed on contact
Name	Generation
Gooey	VI
Tangling Hair	VII

Variations of Guts

Boosts a stat by 50% when affected with a status condition
Name	Stat boosted	Status condition	Generation
Guts	Attack*	Any, excluding Freeze	III
Marvel Scale	Defense	Any	III
Quick Feet	Speed*	Any	IV
Flare Boost	Special Attack	Burn	V
Toxic Boost	Attack	Poison	V

Variations of Hadron Engine

Summons the following effect on the battlefield and boosts the Pokémon's stat
Name	Effect	Stat	Generation
Hadron Engine	Electric Terrain	Special Attack	IX
Orichalcum Pulse	Harsh sunlight	Attack	IX

Variations of Heavy Metal

Alters the Pokémon's weight
Name	Alteration	Generation
Heavy Metal	Doubles	V
Light Metal	Halves	V

Variations of Huge Power

Doubles a stat
Name	Stat	Generation
Huge Power	Attack	III
Pure Power	Attack	III
Fur Coat	Defense	VI
Ice Scales	Special Defense	VIII

Variations of Immunity

Prevents a certain status condition from occurring, user is cured of status condition upon acquiring ability
Name	Status condition	Generation
Immunity	Poison	III
Inner Focus*	Flinch	III
Insomnia	Sleep	III
Vital Spirit	Sleep	III
Limber	Paralysis	III
Magma Armor	Freeze	III
Own Tempo*	Confusion	III
Oblivious*	Infatuation, Taunt*	III
Water Veil	Burn	III

Variations of Intimidate

Reduces one of the opponents' stats by a single stage upon switching in
Name	Stat	Generation
Intimidate	Attack	III
Supersweet Syrup	Evasiveness	IX

Variations of Justified

Raises a certain stat after taking damage from a certain type
Name	Type	Stat	Generation
Justified	Dark-type moves	Attack	V
Rattled	Dark-, Bug-, or Ghost-type moves	Speed	V
Water Compaction*	Water-type moves	Defense	VII
Steam Engine*	Water- or Fire-type moves	Speed	VIII
Thermal Exchange*	Fire-type moves	Attack	IX

Variations of Keen Eye

Prevents a stat from being lowered
Name	Stat	Generation
Illuminate	Accuracy	III
Keen Eye	Accuracy	III
Hyper Cutter	Attack	III
Big Pecks	Defense	V

Variations of Levitate

Grants immunity to certain moves
Name	Moves	Generation
Levitate	Ground-type moves, Arena Trap, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Sticky Web	III
Soundproof	Sound-based moves	III
Wonder Guard	Moves that are not super effective	III
Cacophony*	Sound-based moves	III
Bulletproof	Ball and bomb moves	VI
Good as Gold	Status moves	IX
Wind Rider	Wind moves	IX

Variations of Lightning Rod

Draws in moves of a certain type, raises Special Attack after being hit by that type, provides immunity to moves of that type*
Name	Type	Generation
Lightning Rod	Electric-type moves	III
Storm Drain	Water-type moves	IV

Variations of Magic Guard

Prevents certain damage
Name	Description	Generation
Magic Guard	Prevents damage from recoil, weather and status.	IV
Rock Head	Prevents damage from recoil.	III

*Overcoat also prevents weather damage, but starting in Generation VI, it also grants immunity to powder and spore moves, and is therefore no longer included.

Variations of Minus

Boosts Special Attack if a partner has Minus or Plus
Name	Generation
Minus	III
Plus	III

Variations of Mold Breaker

Allow moves to strike through opposing Abilities
Name	Generation
Mold Breaker	IV
Teravolt	V
Turboblaze	V

Variations of Motor Drive

Raises a certain stat if hit by certain moves, provides immunity to those moves
Name	Moves	Stat	Generation
Motor Drive	Electric-type moves	Speed	IV
Sap Sipper	Grass-type moves	Attack	V
Well-Baked Body	Fire-type moves	Defense	IX
Wind Rider	Wind moves	Attack	IX

Variations of Moxie

Boosts a user's stat by one stage after it KOes an opponent
Name	Stat boosted	Generation
Moxie	Attack	V
Beast Boost	User's highest stat	VII
Chilling Neigh	Attack	VIII
Grim Neigh	Special Attack	VIII

Variations of Multiscale

Lowers damage taken when at full HP
Name	Generation
Multiscale	V
Shadow Shield	VII

Variations of Multitype

Changes the user's type depending on its held item
Name	Held item	Generation
Multitype	Plate or Z-Crystal	IV
RKS System	Memory	VII

Variations of Mummy

Contact with the Pokémon changes the attacker's Ability to this Ability
Name	Generation
Mummy	V
Lingering Aroma	IX

Variations of Natural Cure

Heals when switched out
Name	Heals	Generation
Natural Cure	Status condition	III
Regenerator	HP	V

Variations of Normalize

Changes moves to a different type and increases their power by a percentage
Name	Type change	Generation	Increase
Normalize	All other types → Normal	IV	20% (no increase in Generations IV-VI)
Aerilate	Normal → Flying	VI	20% (30% in Generation VI)
Pixilate	Normal → Fairy	VI	20% (30% in Generation VI)
Refrigerate	Normal → Ice	VI	20% (30% in Generation VI)
Galvanize	Normal → Electric	VII	20%

Variations of Pickpocket

Steals the opponent's held item after a certain effect occurs
Name	Condition	Generation
Pickpocket	After the user is hit by a contact move	V
Magician	After the user attacks the opponent with a damaging move	VI

Variations of Prankster

Adds priority to certain moves
Name	Moves affected	Generation
Prankster	Status moves	V
Gale Wings	Flying-type moves	VI
Triage	Healing moves	VII

Variations of Primordial Sea

Affects weather and the power of certain attacks
Name	Weather effect	Moves affected	Generation
Primordial Sea	Heavy rain	Nullifies damage-dealing Fire-type moves, 50% more power for Water-type moves	VI
Desolate Land	Extremely harsh sunlight	Nullifies damage-dealing Water-type moves, 50% more power for Fire-type moves	VI
Delta Stream	Strong winds	Removes weaknesses of Flying-type Pokémon	VI

Variations of Propeller Tail

Ignores Moves and Abilities that draw in Moves
Name	Generation
Propeller Tail	VIII
Stalwart	VIII

Variations of Protean

Changes the user's type to that of the move it is using
Name	Generation
Protean	VI
Libero	VIII

Variations of Protosynthesis

Boosts the Pokémon's most proficient stat in the following battlefield effect, or if the Pokémon is holding Booster Energy
Name	Effect	Generation
Protosynthesis	Harsh sunlight	IX
Quark Drive	Electric Terrain	IX

Variations of Rain Dish

Slight HP recovery in weather
Name	Weather effect	Generation
Rain Dish	Rain	III
Ice Body	Snow*	IV

Variations of Receiver

Copies the ability of a fainted ally
Name	Generation
Receiver	VII
Power of Alchemy	VII

Variations of Rough Skin

Inflicts damage on contact
Name	Generation
Rough Skin	III
Iron Barbs	V

Variations of Sand Spit

Summons the following battlefield effect if the Pokémon is hit by a damaging move
Name	Effect	Generation
Sand Spit	Sandstorm	VIII
Seed Sower	Grassy Terrain	IX

Variations of Sand Veil

Raises evasion during certain weather conditions
Name	Weather effect	Generation
Sand Veil	Sandstorm	III
Snow Cloak	Snow*	IV

Variations of Scrappy

Prevents Intimidate from activating
Name	Generation
Oblivious	III
Own Tempo	III
Inner Focus	III
Scrappy	IV
Guard Dog	IX

Variations of Serene Grace

Increases the probability of certain side-effects occurring
Name	Effect	Generation
Serene Grace	Additional effects	III
Super Luck	Critical hits	IV

Variations of Thick Fat

Lowers damage taken by certain types of moves
Name	Type	Generation
Thick Fat	Ice- and Fire-type moves	III
Heatproof	Fire-type moves	IV

Variations of Vessel of Ruin

Decreases a stat of all other Pokémon on the field by 25%
Name	Stat	Generation
Vessel of Ruin	Special Attack	IX
Sword of Ruin	Defense	IX
Tablets of Ruin	Attack	IX
Beads of Ruin	Special Defense	IX

Variations of Volt Absorb

Absorbs moves of a certain type as HP
Name	Type	Generation
Volt Absorb	Electric-type moves	III
Water Absorb	Water-type moves	III
Dry Skin*	Water-type moves	IV
Earth Eater	Ground-type moves	IX

Variations of Zen Mode

Changes form at 50% or less HP
Name	Generation	Pokémon
Power Construct*	VII	Zygarde
Shields Down	VII	Minior
Zen Mode	V	Darmanitan

Out of battle variations

Variations of Arena Trap

Affects wild encounter rate
Name	Effect	Generation
Arena Trap	Increases	III
Illuminate	Increases	III
Sand Veil	Decreases in Sandstorm	III
Stench	Decreases	III
Sticky Hold	Increases while fishing	III
Suction Cups	Increases while fishing	III
Swarm	Increases	III
White Smoke	Decreases	III
No Guard	Increases	IV
Quick Feet	Decreases	IV
Snow Cloak	Decreases in Hail	IV

Variations of Compound Eyes

Increases the probability of finding certain Pokémon
Name	Pokémon	Generation
Compound Eyes	With held items	III
Flash Fire	Fire types	III
Harvest	Grass types	V
Hustle	Higher-leveled	III
Lightning Rod	Electric types	III
Magnet Pull	Steel types	III
Pressure	Higher-leveled	III
Static	Electric types	III
Storm Drain	Water types	IV
Synchronize	Same Nature	III
Vital Spirit	Higher-leveled	III

Variations of Flame Body

Eggs hatch faster
Name	Generation
Flame Body	III
Magma Armor	III
Steam Engine	VIII

Variations of Intimidate

Decreases the probability of finding Pokémon of a lower level
Name	Generation
Intimidate	III
Keen Eye	III

Variations of Pickup

Finds items after battle
Name	Item	Generation
Pickup	Various	III
Honey Gather	Honey	IV

Related articles

• Move variations

This article is part of Project Moves and Abilities, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on two related aspects of the Pokémon games.