Basics
Surprise, this is a Pokémon RPG! Your Pokémon are as vital to your character, both mechanically and thematically, as your class and backstory. While a Pokémon’s initial characteristics are often left up to the GM, once you capture them, you have a great amount of control over their development as a battler and as a character. This section will aid you in raising, caring for, and fighting alongside your newfound friends.
- The maximum amount of Pokémon you can carry is determined by your Class selection. For Pokémon-centric classes like the Battler(?), you gain up to +3 to your maximum Pokémon you can carry, and for fighter-centric classes like the Martial Artist, you only gain +1 maximum Pokémon you can carry. Once your Basic Classes are chosen, that will be your maximum Pokémon limit you can carry for the rest of the game.
- Generally speaking, the better a class is at holding its own in a fight, the more time it must dedicate to maintaining battle readiness… time that could be spent raising Pokémon, hence why different classes have different caps.
- Exceptions may apply, such as carrying around Pokémon Eggs. Extra Pokémon beyond your limit are usually teleported in their Pokéballs to a Pokémon Center or Professor for storage, but there are plenty of other places that take care of Pokémon that you can send them to, such as a Daycare or Ranch. Caught Pokémon are registered to your Trainer ID, which is necessary for retrieving digitally stored Pokemon and proving ownership.
- Pokémon share many similarities with Trainers mechanically, although their traits are typically defined by their species. A GM assigns a Pokémon’s Nature, Abilities, and Moves upon creation, and a Trainer can manipulate these through the Mentor power.
- Check the Pokedex for a Pokémon’s Base Stats.
- Apply a Pokémon’s Nature. This applies a 3 x Tier bonus to 2 Stats.
- Next, add +X Stat Points to every Stat, where X is the Pokémon’s Level.
- Finally, apply a 1 x Tier bonus to Stats granted from Moves the Pokémon knows.
- Calculate your Pokémon’s HP according to the formula in the Combat Stats section:
(BASE HP X 3) + 10 + Level + Size Bonus + Nature = Actual HP
POKEMON NATURE CHART
| Nature | Raises |
| Serious | HP, ATK |
| Hardy | HP, DEF |
| Modest | HP, SPATK |
| Gentle | HP, SPDEF |
| Hasty | HP, SPEED |
| Brave | ATK, DEF |
| Naughty | ATK, SPATK |
| Adamant | ATK, SPDEF |
| Lonely | ATK, SPEED |
| Relaxed | DEF, SPATK |
| Careful | DEF, SPDEF |
| Bold | DEF, SPEED |
| Quiet | SPATK, SPDEF |
| Rash | SPATK, SPEED |
| Quirky | SPDEF, SPEED |
Types
- Each Pokemon has one or two Types, chosen from the 18 Pokemon Types. A Pokemon’s first Type is its Primary Type, which is the Pokemon’s “main” aspect – the one that most dominates its biology. A Pokemon’s second Type is its Secondary Type, which defines its auxiliary abilities.
- Trainers are Typeless.
- These Types determine how strong or weak various attacks are against a Pokemon, as well as a general bearing on its traits – certain Types are more likely to have a particular trait than others.
- A Pokemon’s Primary Type defines the following:
- How a Pokemon regains PP.
Pokemon of an Elemental type regain PP through taking Extended Rests.
Pokemon of an Aura type regain PP through consuming food.
Pokemon of a Primordial type regains PP through means specific to each Type.- The Bug type derives its power through being around creatures it has at least Loyalty 2 towards, or by engaging with other Bug-types.
- The Dark type derives its power through causing substantial negative emotions in other creatures – this power is generated through the act that caused the emotional shift; Dark-type Pokemon do not ‘feed’ on fear, as Ghost-types do. They gain +1 Tier to all Dark-type effects for 1 hour after this.
- The Dragon type derives its power through feeling deep and powerful emotions. The more extreme a creature feels, the more Dragon energy it is capable of wielding – this can apply to both violent and calm moods. As an Extended Action (L), they select one non-Type specific Volatile Status of a Tier equal or lesser to their own and subject themselves to it. At the end of this action, they regain PP equal to the Tier of the Status.
- The Fairy type derives its power through inspiring significant positive emotions in other creatures – this power is generated through the act that caused the emotional shift; Fairy-type Pokemon do not ‘feed’ on happiness. They gain +1 Tier to all Fairy-type effects for 1 hour after this.
- A Pokemon’s Primary Type is more difficult to Shift than its Secondary Type.
- How a Pokemon regains PP.
- Both of a Pokemon’s Types define the following:
- How unruly it is when using the Improve Pokemon’s Attitude skill power on it.
- What Types it resists/are weak to; what Status conditions it is immune to.
- What Types it has STAB on.
Abilities
- Pokemon also have methods of defending themselves, typically through Struggle Attacks, Abilities, and Moves.
- Abilities are passive effects that are either active all the time, or are triggered under certain conditions. More details can be found in the Abilities chapter.
- Pokemon are born with a single Basic Ability, chosen by the GM.
- Upon reaching Tier 2, Pokemon gain a Basic or Advanced Ability.
- Upon reaching Tier 3 and 4, Pokemon may gain any Ability.
- Pokemon gain 4 Abilities through levelling, but there is no limit to the maximum number of Abilities they or a Trainer can have. Many Features and other effects can grant Pokemon additional Abilities.
Moves
- Moves are powerful techniques that can drastically alter the environment and the flow of combat. Moves have the largest influence on a Pokemon’s combat ability. Struggle Attacks are excellent methods of dealing damage, but Moves go beyond that.
- Pokemon may learn a maximum of 1 + (1 per Tier) Moves from all sources combined. Some Abilities or Features may allow a Pokemon to surpass this limit.
- Moves each correspond to a Stat, and grant 1 x Your Tier bonus to that Stat while you know it.
- Every time a Pokemon levels up or visits a Tutor, it may learn a Move from its Natural Move List. A Pokemon may be taught from the Tutor Move List through the Mentor power. A Pokemon can have no more than 2 Tutor Moves at a time.
- If you learn a Tutor Move that is on your Natural Move List, it becomes counted as a Natural Move once you have the opportunity to learn it naturally.
- Trainers have no limit to the number of Moves they can learn. Lucky them.
Capabilities
- Pokemon also have Capabilities that define their basic traits such as power, movement, and intelligence. Unlike humans, Pokemon have a number of non-basic capabilities that define their special abilities, such as shooting fire or changing in size. Certain Trainer Classes and Equipment may grant humans these capabilities.
- Like humans, Pokemon also derive Capabilities from their Skill Ranks, if applicable. However, Pokemon have extra Capabilities, determined by their species. Certain Moves can grant Capabilities or boost existing ones. These bonuses are lost if the Move is ever forgotten.
- Capabilities are not always positive. Some, such as Inarticulate, are more indicative of a Pokemon’s limitations. I’m not sure how a Sunkern would operate a doorknob.
Skills
- Pokemon also have Skills, but unlike Trainers, most of their Skills are determined by their species. Pokemon have all the Skills that humans do, but only Skills that are not Untrained are listed in its Pokedex entry. Pokemon may also use Skill Powers if they are able to.
- Pokemon gain +1 Skill Rank per Tier, unlike Trainers which receive one every level. These Skill Ranks may be changed through the Mentor power.
- The GM may change a Pokemon’s base skill allocation if it is different from others of its species. This is done by removing a Skill Rank in one area and moving it to a different Skill. Unless it is substantially different from the Pokedex entry, you should not change more than 4 Skill Ranks. Pokemon that are this odd may be treated differently by others of its kind.
Rarity
- Due to the way that ecosystems work, Pokemon do not all appear at the same rate and have the same populations across species. Some can be found nearly anywhere, while others are only spoken of in legends. Rarity comes in 5 stages, with one exception.
- A Pokemon’s Rarity determines how much PP it gets, how easily attainable it is to get with the Go catch a Pokemon Downtime Action, and how likely you are to encounter it in the field.
- A Pokemon’s Rarity generally increases as it Evolves, but doesn’t always. Pokemon with lots of raw power typically have a higher Rarity, as it is difficult for the ecosystem to support many of them. Despite how secretive a Pokemon is, its Rarity is largely determined by how many members of its species are estimated to exist, as rarer Pokemon (that aren’t too aggressive) are usually targeted for conservation efforts… or poaching.
- It is theorized that the individual strength of a Pokemon species is inversely correlated to how many members comprise that species, but there is no hard evidence to support this. Fortunately, no one has attempted to test the theory strenuously.
- The 5 stages of Rarity are Common, Uncommon, Rare, Mythical, and Legendary. Each is more mysterious and difficult to come across than the last, with most Legendary Pokemon going unseen by the vast majority of humankind.
- There is also a special Rarity, Unique. This is reserved for Pokemon that are truly one of a kind and are unlike any other of their species in some mechanical sense. Perhaps they are gifted, cursed, or simply born differently. Very few Pokemon in the Pokedex have this Rarity.
Behavior
- A Pokemon’s behavior refers to the standard expected personalities and responses for each species. This can be quite useful for determining how to act when meeting one, as well as what it’s trying to communicate to you.
- Behavior is split between 2 values: Boldness and Hostility. Each ranges from -2 to 2.
- Boldness determines how a species reacts to unknown stimuli. A skittish (-2) Pokemon is wary, a nonreactive (0) Pokemon doesn’t react significantly, and a bold (2) Pokemon is unafraid of it. A Pokemon’s Boldness is added to its Morale and Response Checks.
- Hostility determines how a species is predisposed towards humans. A friendly (-2) Pokemon generally acts positively towards them, an ambivalent (0) Pokemon has no significant reactions around them, and a hostile (2) Pokemon acts negatively towards them. A Pokemon’s Hostility is added to its Hostility Checks.
- A Pokemon’s Behavior is denoted in the form (Boldness/Friendliness). For example (2/2) refers to a Pokemon that is both bold and hostile towards humans and will almost always fight in response to danger.
- The combination of a species’ Boldness and Friendliness can be summarized into 1 of 9 categories, looking at whether its values are +, 0, or -. The categories are as follows:
- Gentle (-/-)
A Gentle Pokemon is friendly towards people, but easily spooked. - Wary (-/0)
A Wary Pokemon is skittish and timid, but has no particular opinions towards people. - Distrustful (-/+)
A Distrustful Pokemon distrusts humans and wants to stay as far away from them as possible. - Amicable (0/-)
An Amicable Pokemon feels positively towards humans, but won’t go out of their way to help or approach them. - Aloof (0/0)
An Aloof Pokemon doesn’t care one way or the other about the presence of humans and generally act as they please. - Watchful (0/+)
A Watchful Pokemon dislikes humans, but not enough to significantly change their behavior outside of keeping an eye on nearby people. - Friendly (+/-)
A Friendly Pokemon is not only unafraid of people, but likes being around them, even helping them. - Curious (+/0)
A Curious Pokemon has no issues with approaching people, but holds no ill will towards them. - Territorial (+/+)
A Territorial Pokemon will typically attack or try to scare off any humans they see.
- Gentle (-/-)
- A Pokemon’s individual Nature can influence how it reacts to stimuli to some degree, but its Behavior is still hard-wired into it.
- When a Pokemon makes a Hostility Check and becomes at least Suspicious towards you, the GM can make a Response Check to determine how it reacts towards you by rolling 1d4 and add its Boldness to the roll. On a roll of 1-2, the Pokemon runs away and tries to avoid them. On a roll of 3-4, the Pokemon becomes confrontational and likely violent.
Of course, the GM can make up a response without rolling.
Diet
- Unsurprisingly, not all Pokemon subsist off the same food. This section details the various diet types a Trainer might encounter. A Resource is capable of feeding Hypervores, Omnivores, Carnivores, Herbivores and Filter Feeders. Don’t think about it too hard unless you really want to start writing multiple Resource types down on your character sheet.
- Hypervore – Eats and digests literally anything it can chew.
- Omnivore – Eats a wide variety of food, from plants to meat and fibers.
- Carnivore – Only eats animal matter, meat in particular.
- Herbivore – Only eats plant matter.
- Filter Feeder – Eats by collecting food particles in water through a filter.
- Phototroph – Derives energy from solar or lunar energy.
- Terravore – Eats earth, minerals, and other rocky material.
- Auravore – Feeds on the Aura of other creatures. Doing so imposes at least 1 Mind Drain on the victim.
- Ergovore – Derives energy from raw energy, such as electricity or pure Type energy.
- Illumivore – Eats light. Yeah, really.
- Nullivore – Cannot eat, never runs out of energy.
- A Pokemon species may have multiple diets or prefer a specific type of food. In these instances, the Pokemon’s most preferred diet comes first, with its least preferred diet coming last. Any specific food will be in parenthesis. For example, a Hypno’s Diet is Auravore (Dreams), Herbivore.
- Feeding a Pokemon its most preferred food gives it +1 Loyalty Point.
- Some Pokemon can only eat a specific type of food. In these instances, the Pokemon’s diet is bolded. For example, a Sableye’s Diet is Terravore (Gemstones), and it will not eat any other minerals except for gemstones, which are also its preferred food. These Pokemon can be especially difficult to care for, but are likely to become very loyal towards their Trainers if they can meet their needs.