Introduction

Making a Character

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First, come up with your character concept in broad strokes; Are

you a boyor a girl? What sort of personality does he or she
have? Then flesh out your appearance, outlook on life, settle on
a good name, and maybe decide on a goal or two that keeps
your trainer motivated. Dont forget to include a couple of neat
(but subtle!) traits and quirks thatll make them memorable.
Your GM might have certain stipulations on things like character
age, especially if youre playing a traditional game in which the
PCs will be receiving their first ever Pokmon. It varies from
region to region, but this is generally an event that happens in a
trainers early teens.

This is a pick-up-and-play system designed for people who want

to play traditional Pokmon trainers; your daily life probably
consists of capturing, battling and exploring in a light-hearted
world where even inexperienced pokmon stand a chance
against dangerous opponents. If youd rather delve into the
deeper philosophical ramifications of giant monster combat,
experience a different aspect of life in the world to be a
professor, breeder, or martial artist for example or face off
against ancient or legendary Pokmon that pose a challenge far
greater than anything you could overcome, then this system
isnt what youre looking for. Instead, take a gander at the
Pokmon Tabletop Adventures game that can be found here:

Your Pokmon Adventure

The world of Pokmon is vast and strange. Professors study how
fish can battle and function normally on dry land, a seedy
Pokmon underworld controls a black market, and protestors
fight for the right of all Pokmon, even while giving them
performance-enhancing vitamins!

Building a trainer is a pretty simple process. In fact, creating

your character comes down to only five easy steps.

The second step is to choose your skills. No matter your age, just
about everyone shares the same common pool of five skills.
They consist of Livelihood, Gut Instinct, Fitness, Outdoors, and
Social. The first thing youll want to do is flip ahead to the Skills
section to learn more about what each of these mean. Then
youll choose one of them to get a +6 bonus, one of them to get
a +4 bonus, two that get a pair of +2 boosts, and one that stays
at +0. These improve over time, but very slowly, and youll want
to make sure youre happy with your choices before moving on.

So where do you fit into all of this?

Well, like most REAL Pokmon trainers, your goal is to tame the
baddest laser-shooting reptile-plant monster you can find and
use it to beat up the other kids monsters. Youll sail the seas,
soar through the clouds, and delve into labyrinthine caves. In
short, youll have an old-fashioned Pokmon adventure.

Pokmon Culture
Pokmon journeys are often seen as rites of adulthood, where
young trainers will learn to fend for themselves while
confronting situations that inevitably require mental and
physical fortitude. It teaches life lessons (yknow, like kindness
and fairness) the hard way, and helps instill values like humility
and bravery even in the face of constant adversity. In turn, most
regions operate under a simple idea with complex ramifications
that the strength of ones Pokmon determines the strength of
ones character. Just think about that for a second. A trainer
who proves themselves in battle also proves that their journey
turned them into a wise, appreciative and motivated individual.
As these qualities are inherently tied to being a good leader,
many regions have taken this idea a step further and replaced
the idea of a government completely. Such regions are run by a
distinguished Pokmon League, or an oligarchy composed of
elite trainers. Sometimes the regional Champion even has the
final say in any given situation.
In short, the person with the best monsters can become
president.

The third and perhaps most important! step is to choose one

of the five trainer types that represents your personality the
best. Are you a Determined sort that would sacrifice
everything for what was right? An unpredictable Dynamic
trainer that keeps your friends and enemies on their toes?
Maybe your friend think youre the most Clever person they
know, and you always approach situations with an open mind
and a back-up plan. But then again, maybe youre a Speedy kid
who doesnt have time to over-think every little decision!
Perhaps youre a Gentle soul that values kindness over all else.
When youve made the decision, jot it down and proceed to the
fourth step.
Now youll choose your starting Trainer Perks you get two of
these, chosen from the list that your trainer type gives you, or
the list found in the All Trainers section that everybody has
access to. For example, a Clever character might choose to pick
up [Trainers Eye] from their trainer-specific list, and [Rich Kid]
from the shared list.
Finally, pick up some basic gear. Flip ahead to the Items section
and add three Cheap items to your character sheet. A character
might get three pokballs, or they might choose a Town Map, a
Repel, and a Potion, for example.

[Impulsive]: Your Pokmon will fight even without you giving

You play hard, and you play to win. You've got a go-getter attitude
and a whole lot of force to back it up. In a battle, you're great at
changing your style on the fly to win with unusual techniques, or
overcoming the odds with sheer force of will, but you often
sacrifice defense for offense. You're the best and you KNOW it,
and people often mistake self-confidence with arrogance.

[Curve Ball]: You can make a Pokball fly in crazily erratic

patterns just by ripping out a Pokball's gyroscopic-stabilization-
blah-blah-blah system and putting a little topspin on the throw.
Once per adventure before a catching roll is made either made by
yourself or an ally, you may declare that you're using Curve Balls
to add a +2 bonus to the roll. If the catching check fails, it's
probably because the throw missed the target completely and
broke against an object (or the Dynamic Trainer's head) instead.

[Powerful Attacks]: Winning is all about hitting the other

Pokmon harder than they hit you, and you've trained your
Pokmon to give their attacks a little extra oomph when it really
counts. Once per Pokmon per battle, when your Pokmon hits
with a non-critical attack, select one of the Offense Dice that
shows a value of 1-5. You can add that number to the attacks
total damage dealt.

[Adaptability]: One Pokmon of your choice permanently gains

the Adaptability ability, which reads; 'Attacks that share a type
with the Pokmon deal an extra 4 damage instead of an extra 2.
This bonus does not apply to moves that have been used twice in a
row.' This can be taken multiple times, choosing different
Pokmon each time.

[Special Training]: Youve explored all sorts of exotic training

methods to get your Pokmon to surpass their normal limitations,
and it shows. Whenever you spend your TIP to add an extra
Offense Dice to your Pokmons you may roll two bonus dice
instead.

[Evolutionary Surge]: Choose one Pokmon you own. Instead

of learning a move at the end of their next combat they may
undergo a mini-evolution, permanently changing one of their
Types into any other Type as chosen by you, and you lose the
[Evolutionary Surge] perk. An Evolutionary Surge may only occur
once per Pokmon. Future evolutions of this Pokmon retain the
chosen type, and other members of the species called into
existence via TIPs do not share this type change. This, in turn,
probably changes the types of moves the Pokmon will learn from
future battles. You can take Evolutionary Surge multiple times,
choosing a different Pokmon each time.

them orders. When you spend your turn to use an item such as
a potion or a pokball, or otherwise cant command your
companions, theyll automatically use one move of the GMs
choice. The smarter the Pokmon, the more likely their choice
of move will be a strategic pick.

[Trader]: Youve got a keen eye and know how to pick out
real contenders among hundreds of possibilities. Pokmon
traded to you are never Troublesome, and they get a +4 bonus
to their INT roll at the end of the first battle the two of you
overcome together.

[Saving Throw]: Your opponent teeters and prepares to fall,

but you anticipated that and have one last chance to snag it
before it bites the dust! Once per battle when a wild enemy
Pokmon has been knocked out by an attack, you may
immediately use a Trainer Action to throw a Pokball at it.

[Stunt]: Strategy is for people that dont have style. Once per
Pokmon per battle, you may describe an elaborate combat
maneuverer ricocheting a seed off a nearby wall or, for
example - before the attack roll is made. During your
Pokmons next attack roll, your opponent cannot end any
negative effects or take half damage by spending successful
Defensive Dice they can only use their successes to counter
yours.

[Diversity]: Your multi-typed Pokmon team has grown

stronger by learning from one another. When you have at
least six different elemental types present in your active
Pokmon team that is, the team of Pokmon you own and
are carrying with you they all gain an extra +2 bonus to their
accuracy with all moves.

[Hotshot]: You use the power of trash talk to throw a wrench

in your opponents plans. By delivering a sick burn to your
opponent once per adventure, they must choose to either re-
roll one dice of your choice or to have their currently-active
Pokmon suffer the Ongoing Damage status effect.

[Signature Striker]: You prefer to tip the battle in your favor

with never-before-seen attacks! When building a Signature
Move for your pokmon, you get a whopping 10 points instead
of the normal 8 to work with.

[Day Care]: You can look after one Pokmon that doesn't

There's so much more to life than just seeing Pokmon beat the
tar out of one another. By treating Pokmon with kindness and the
respect they deserve, you can turn friendship into deep, lasting
bonds.

[Heal Ball]: You own a book full of special stickers which you
happily attach to everyones Pokballs. After you or an ally catch a
Pokmon, the newly-acquired pokmon is immediately healed to
full health.

[Hopes and Dreams]: Your constant encouragement does more

actually belong to you. That Pokmon isn't allowed to

participate in battles until you return it to its rightful owner. So
long as it remains healthy and happy, that Pokmon can watch
and learn Moves just by watching their real trainer battle! If
either the Gentle Trainer or the pokmon's original owner
spends a TIP after a battle ends, the observant Day Cared
Pokmon can gain a new Move as though it had actually been
participating.

[Morale Boost]: You call out encouragement to one of the

Pokmon on the field. If the target is friendly, they gain a +4
bonus to the accuracy of their next move. If the target is
hostile, they instead suffer a -4 penalty to their next accuracy
roll as they become momentarily less vicious. This doesn't take
your action and may be used once per battle.

than just keep spirits high - it can actually influence Pokmon

evolution. Whenever a friendly Pokmon that you've spent a
significant period of one-on-one time with...such as one you've
captured or taken care of via the Day Care perk...evolves to their
final form, their trainer can choose which ability the Pokmon
obtains. This also unlocks unusual abilities based on the
Pokmon's personality and may even allow a Type change, such as
a terrestrial Pokmon who has always wanted to fly gaining access
to the 'Cloud Nine' ability and the Flying subtype along with visual
differences.

[Be Gentle]: After you deal enough damage to K.O. an

If a Pokmon cant or doesnt want to evolve, then [Hopes and

Dreams] can instead trigger during a major milestone in the
Pokmons life after a great deal of time has passed.

[Adoption]: Each Pokmon species generally has several

[Companions]: You find the idea of capturing Pokmon to be

distasteful, and though you don't try to push your beliefs on
others, you've managed to learn how to befriend Pokmon
without the aid of electronic devices. You no longer need a
Pokball to 'capture' a wild Pokmon, but must still roll the
associated capture roll successfully in order to talk to a wild critter
on their level and convince them that you're not a threat. You gain
a +2 bonus to this roll, at the GMs discretion, if you add a
convincing argument for why the wild Pokmon would be better
off alongside you than in the wild. Your Pokmon may not use any
moves during this round or the 'capture' roll is automatically
treated as a failure. The target must still be at 50% HP or below
for this to be successful - a wild Pokmon will rarely pay any
attention to anybody until they've tired themselves out a bit.

[Fashion Sense]: Your Pokmon can carry up to three Held Item

at a times instead of just one. Each item must grant a different
bonus. When an enemy Pokmon attempts to destroy or steal an
item, you can choose which one they get.

opposing Pokmon, you may declare that your move had the
'False Swipe' keyword and instead leaves them at 1 hit point.
Be Gentle can only be used once per battle.

[Empathy]: This useful perk is exclusive to the most kind-

hearted of trainers. Thanks to your ability to mimic the sounds
of pokmon and even understand them on an intuitive level,
you can use your Social skill to affect the disposition of
Pokmon as well as people.

different possible abilities. When you call forth a new member

of the species using a TIP, you can choose which ability (if
applicable) the newfound Pokmon will have. You may also
choose to give it the Calm nature, or the same nature as its
parent Pokmon, instead of rolling for one.

[Fixer-Upper]: You might be a nurse or doctor in training,

know how to whip up special strength-restoring meals, or you
just know a thing or two about general first aid. At the end of
each battle you can choose one Pokmon and tend to what
ails em, automatically returning them to full HP.

[Cautious Approach]: One Pokmon of your choice gains

the Forewarn ability, which reads; 'You learn the most
dangerous move possessed by your enemy (as determined by
the GM), and that move is at a -2 accuracy penalty to hit you
and your allies.' This can be taken multiple times, choosing
different Pokmon each time.

[Always Prepared]: You're ready for anything, no matter

It's all about hard work. While other trainers might play fast and
loose with strategies or risk it all on wild gambits, you're a slow-
and-steady customer who knows that real winners keep their nose
to the grindstone and never stop trying. When others are down for
the count, you've just started to get warmed up.

[Repeat Ball]: If at first you don't succeed, just throw harder

next time! After unsuccessfully attempting to capture a wild
pokmon, the next time you throw a pokball (even if it isn't
during the same adventure!) it's with such stubborn
determination that the unlucky target is automatically affected by
the Rattled status before your capture check is made.

[Superior Defense]: Youve made sure to teach your Pokmon

the value of rolling with powerful attacks or using nearby objects
for cover. Once per Pokmon per battle, when your Pokmon is
struck with a damaging attack, select one of the Defense Dice that
shows a value of 1-5. The total damage dealt by the attack is
reduced by that number.

[Made of Tougher Stuff]: Both you your team know how to go

the distance. All the Pokmon you own have an additional 5 hit
points.

[Last Stand]: If you're going down, you'll take your opponent

with you! The first time each of your Pokmon is reduced to zero
hit points in a given battle, your Pokmon can roll a d20 and add
their RES score. If the result is 15 or better they may use one final
move before fainting. This move cannot be used to recover hit
points or prevent the K.O. in any way.

[Battle Armor]: One Pokmon of your choice gains the Battle

Armor ability, which reads; The Pokmon may choose to use one
fewer Offensive Dice (if they have at least one available) in order
to gain an additional Defense Dice until the start of their next
turn.' This can be taken multiple times, choosing different
Pokmon each time.

[Perseverance]: Nothing can deter you when you finally decide

upon a course of action. You may re-roll once dice per adventure.

[Barrier-Maker]: You've trained your Pokmon to be able to

create walls of ice or psychic energy, using their natural talents to
aid their companions as well as themselves. Moves that have the
'Wall' keyword - such as Reflect or Light Screen - now affect all
friendly Pokmon instead of just the user, and it only costs 5
points instead of the normal 7 to add the Wall keyword when
building a Signature Move.

how extreme, and carry around basic survival and along with
things like a good umbrella and a sleeping bag. All friendly
pokmon (both yours and your allies') are immune to the
negative effects of naturally-occurring weather, or weather
effects caused by your pokmon.

[Defender]: Declare one enemy Pokmon on your turn. If

you have a Pokmon on the field and the enemy Pokmon
chooses not to target it this turn, the defending Pokmon
gains one additional Defense Dice.

[Unity]: Your teams strategy is simple and elegant, and the

single-mindedness helps them all stay focused in battle.
Pokmon you own that know at least two moves with the
Utility keyword gain a +2 bonus to their evasion.

[Side By Side]: Your persistence helps give your companions

them a new purpose; after obtaining this perk, your Pokmon
are never Troublesome. Better yet, you can spend a TIP in
combat to tell your pokmon 'up and at'em!' and allow them
to instantly shake off the effects of the Rattled status effect.

[Coordinator]: You've spent hours working with your

Your parents always told you to slow down when you were a kid,
insisting you take the time to stop and smell the Sunflora. And it's
not that you're impatient, you just hate wasting time! There's no
sense messing around doing things the long way when there's a
faster solution at hand. Your spur-of-the-moment strategies will
leave your opponents dazed and confused.

[Speed Ball]: Don't hesitate, just throw! Aiming's way less

important than tagging the pokmon while he's still dazed from
an attack! In addition to their regular benefits, you can use any
type of Pokball freely on your turn without it taking up your
trainer action so, you could command your Pokmon to use a
move to weaken an opponent and then throw a Great Ball.

[Shuffle]: You're prone to spontaneously changing your game

plan in combat, swapping around your Pokmon seemingly at-will.
After returning a Pokmon to its Pokball during battle, the
replacement may act immediately without having to wait until the
start of the following round for a turn.

[Faster Than You]: Your Pokmon's SPD stats are treated as

always being 2 points higher than they really are to determine the
initiative order in battles.

Pokmon to improve both their forms as well as your own, and

their elegance and grace helps them gain the upper hand in
battle. If one or more enemys moves miss your Pokmon due
to their evasion, your Pokmon gains one additional Offense
Dice on its next turn.

[Parkour Practice]: Part of your Pokmon training consists

of teaching your pokmon to sprint, climb, jump, and roll their
way over and through obstacles, and they can now easily use
the battlefield to their advantage. Your Pokmon can attack
targets that have used an Escape-keyword move without
penalty, and when you building a signature move the Escape
keyword only costs 2 points instead of the normal 4.

[Evolving Potential]: The first time a Pokmon you own

evolves, it gains a permanent +1 bonus to any stat of your
choice.

[Think Fast!]: Once per battle you may give any move the
Interrupt keyword and perform it immediately.
[Switch Out!]: All of your Pokmon gain the Run Away ability
in addition to their regular ability, allowing you to escape
combat or swap them out regardless of circumstance.

[Unburdened]: One Pokmon of your choice gains the

Unburden ability, which reads; 'When not holding any item, this
Pokmon gains a +4 bonus to their EVA score.' This can be taken
multiple times, choosing different Pokmon each time.

[One Step Ahead]: Your Pokmon they are no longer easy

targets when afflicted by the Dormant status effect. Your
opponents must still roll accurately enough to beat your SPD score
when attacking a Dormant Pokmon. Better yet, you deal an extra
+2 damage with Attack and Special Attack moves against targets
who are Dormant or Rattled.

[Gotta Catch 'Em First]: During your first turn of each battle,
you may attempt to catch a wild Pokmon regardless of how
many hit points they have - you don't have to follow the 'must be
at 50% or less HP' rule. Such Pokmon are always treated as being
at half health even if they're still in perfect fighting form.

[Pressure to Succeed]: One Pokmon of your choice gains

That's the thing the others don't understand - its brains that makes
a great trainer, not brawn or kindness or speed. Type advantages
and disadvantages, coverage and percentages, that's your game.
There's nothing that the world can't throw at you that you haven't
already prepared a counter-plan for, and your team will be
strengthened with all the knowledge you bring.

[Apricorn Ball]: You know the secrets for constructing

rudimentry Pokballs from a special hard fruit known as Apricorns.
It's assumed you keep a handful on you at all times, and by making
a capture roll with a -2 penalty, you may attempt to catch a wild
pokmon even without any standard Pokballs in your character's
inventory.

[Poksmith]: Even without the aid of technology, you can craft

nifty gizmos, helpful doodads, and pretty keepsakes for your
Pokmon. At the end of each adventure you may spent a TIP to
create a Held Item that can be carried by a Pokmon to increase
either PWR, RES, SPD or INT by +2 points, or increase the damage
by all moves of a certain Type by +2. This could be anything from a
giant magnet to a spiffy fedora, a mystical spell tag or a deadly
poisonous barb.
If you also have the [Apricorn Balls] perk, you can also spend a TIP
to create a Special Ball item instead. These custom pokballs grant
a +4 bonus on catching rolls under unusual criteria that you can
choose with GM approval.

[Extra-Curricular]: You don't need fancy tricks to overcome your

adversaries - just a fail-proof strategy. Whenever you would learn
a Superior move with one of your Pokmon, you may choose to
gain a normal move instead in order to automatically earn a TIP.

[Shared Stratagems]: There's a lot that you can teach your

Pokmon, and vice-versa...but there's also a lot that they can teach
one another. Once per adventure by spending a TIP, one of your
Pokmon can teach any move it knows to another friendly
Pokmon. The GM must agree that the Pokmon is capable of
using the move.

[Knowledge is Power!]: All of your Pokmon gain a +2 bonus on

Smarts rolls to learn new moves.

[Trainer's Eye]: The GM must inform you whenever a wild

Pokmon drops below 50% of their total maximum HP and can
therefore be caught.

the Pressure ability, which reads; 'Your opponents may not

use the same move twice in a row while this Pokmon is on
the field.' This can be taken multiple times, choosing different
Pokmon each time.

[According to Plan]: You spend time either concocting a

fail-proof strategy or researching a subject it might be a
specific move you know your enemy possesses, a species of
Pokmon you might encounter out in the wild, a shady
organization or almost anything else. At or near the start of
each game session, name the object or event you are
planning for - such as 'Jeff the Gym Leader' or 'Zubats'. When
interacting with your planned target, such as when the move
is used or you meet up with the individual you had
researched, you may declare that you are using According to
Plan. You and all of your allies may re-roll any/all of their dice
during that turn. Each dice can only be re-rolled once, and you
may only declare the use of According to Plan once per game
session.

[Secret Stash]: You know how to make the most of your

limited resources. Whenever you activate a cheap or valuable
'Usable' item, there's a 25% chance that the item won't be
'used up' and will remain in your character's possession.

[Obvious Weakness]: Only amateurs don't know how to

exploit the obvious vulnerabilities of their opponents. When
you use a Super Effective type move against an opponent, you
deal an additional +4 damage instead of the standard +2.

[Intelligent Design]: You prefer to overcome your enemies

with complex setups instead of just boring, repeated, bash-
your-head-against-the-wall-style attacks. Moves with the
Hazard keyword deal an additional +2 damage to your
enemies, and moves with the Copycat and Type Conversion
keywords can always calculate damage based on your
Pokmons INT stat.

[Psychic]: You were born with an unusual power. You can

The following abilities are available to any of the main characters,
regardless of what other Trainer type they've chosen.

[Cherish Ball]: Your starting pokmon has a pokball that is

extremely different from the norm. Perhaps it was specially made
to commemorate a major event of some sort, maybe it's made of
some living material instead of simple red-and-silver metal, or
perhaps it's an ancient device you don't entirely understand.
Whatever the case, the Cherish Ball perks grants one pokmon of
your choice a permanent +1 bonus to all of their attributes.

[Type Specialist]: You feel a kinship with a certain Type of

Pokmon. Training Specialists might be headband-wearing martial
artists, bright-eyed bug catchers, or eccentric psychokinetics. You
gain a +2 bonus to rolls to catch wild Pokmon of your chosen
type, and they gain a +2 bonus on INT checks to learn moves after
combat ends. In games that use non-standard Pokmon that the
players might not be familiar with, the GM must inform you
whenever a Pokmon is of your specialized Type - wild or
otherwise.

[Rich Kid]: You can purchase Valuable items without rolling, the
same way other characters can buy Cheap items without risk. If
your newly-created character starts with this perk, you can choose
Valuable items instead of Cheap ones when picking your 3 pieces
of starter gear.

[Bodyguard]: Once per adventure you may leap in front of a

weak or helpless Pokmon to protect them from injury. Doing so
negates the damage that would be dealt. Using this perk will earn
you a disqualification in any sort of official match.

[Like-Minded]: You've got a knack for getting along with your

newly-caught companions. After making the roll to randomly
determine a Pokmon's nature, you may choose to increase or
decrease your roll result by one.

[TM Smith]: You're handy with a camera, a sketch pad, a

camcorder, or even psychic impressions...and you use this natural
knack to collect visual references of the moves you've seen used in
battle. By spending a TIP you can choose a move that you've seen
used during the adventure and turn it into a Technical Machine, or
just teach it to a Pokmon of your choice. The GM must agree that
the Pokmon is capable of using the move - for example, a
Pokmon with no mouth wouldn't get much use out of a TM for
Bite or Lick. Signature Moves can't be turned into TMs, and
Superior Moves are much more difficult to teach to your average
Pokmon.

use your Gut Instinct skill to not only get a sense of whether
someone is telling the truth or not, or if they're generally
friendly towards you, but actually read surface thoughts. Such
skill checks are almost always hard and require a total roll of
18 or better.

[Veteran]: Youre older and more experienced than most

other Pokmon trainers at your same skill level. But with age
comes experience and a +2 bonus to your Gut Instinct and
Outdoors skills.

[Youngster]: Youre younger than most other Pokmon

trainers, but youve got energy to spare and youre just so
darn adorable, people immediately take a liking to you and
never see you as a threat. You get a +2 bonus to your Fitness
and Social skills, and you can wear shorts whenever you want.
Theyre comfy and easy to wear.

[Treasure Hunter]: One Pokmon of your choice

permanently gains the Pickup ability, which reads; 'At the end
of each adventure, a Pokmon with Pickup finds a random
Held item if it wasn't already holding something.' This can be
taken multiple times, choosing different Pokmon each time.

[Deadliest Catch]: You're a natural angler, and gain a +2

bonus on Livelihood rolls to purchase Good Rods and Super
Rods. Furthermore, you can choose to try and fish up a much
more deadly specimen than normal with any type of Rod. If
you fail the resulting Outdoors check the Rod breaks, but if
you succeed the Pokmon that arrives is a deadly member of
its species that always has the 'Alpha' nature.

[The Bigger They Are]: You know how to win fights with
under-evolved pokmon against even the most dangerous of
opponents. When using a Pokmon that could evolve (but
hasn't) against an opponent that has evolved at least once,
your pokmon gains an additional Defense Dice.

[Famous]: Everybody knows you, for good or for ill. Although

this can sometimes be a hindrance with pesky Clever Trainers
knowing precisely who your favourite pokmon are, and what
your battling style is likely to be, there's nothing like having
reporters and a cheering audience trailing in your wake, ready
to intimidate any opponent who wants a showdown with you.
If you succeed on a Social skill check before the battle, each of
your opponent's Pokmon is treated as being Rattled during
the first round teeter on the battlefield.
In addition, you get a +2 bonus to your Livelihood skill checks.

Skills

While Pokmon have stats and Trainers dont, skills are exclusive
to humans. The five different skills dictate everything from how
quickly you can run to how renowned you are as a Pokmon
Connoisseur.
To use a skill, roll a d20 and add whatever bonus your character
has. The GM will tell you the difficulty from the three options
below.

Easy: You need to roll an 8 or better. Easy skill checks might be

deciding if a bunch of wild berries are safe to eat or not, using a
library to determine out what kind of Pokmon the locals gyms
favour, or to figure out that those men in the black suits and
sunglasses might not have your best interests at heart.

Tricky: You need to roll a 12 or better. Examples of Tricky skill

checks include picking an old lock, de-escalating a fight between
two hot-headed trainers, or recalling details in an old myth your
grandfather once told you.

Hard: You need to roll an 18 or better. This might include

identifying exactly what kind of creature left those tracks,
haggling down the price to buy an Expensive item, or outrunning
a Pokmon stampede!

The five core skills all trainers have access to are as follows:

Fitness: How athletic and able-bodied you are. A trainer will

roll this skill to climb, swim, chase down the pickpocket that
snagged their cool new pokgear, or help clear away the
boulders blocking a cave entrance. A character with a low fitness
score might have trouble keeping up with other trainers who
want to hike from sun-up to sundown every single day. Having
no bonus to fitness probably means youre a nerd who doesnt
get out much, are noticeably overweight or sickly and frail.

Gut Instinct: Most people have that little voice in their

head or the reactionary response that tells them when
somethings not quite right. You roll your gut instinct when you
need to spot a dangerous Pokmon hidden in the tall grass,
avoid getting conned by a magikarp salesman, or know which
button to push to stop an out-of-control machine. A character
without any points in Gut Instinct tends to have a knack for
finding trouble, instead.

The number of points you have in the Livelihood skill also relates
to how much money you have tucked away after all, its a
measure of success in your chosen job! You roll your Livelihood
skill when youre trying to obtain items between adventures and
routes. Maybe youre a gangster who has a side gig robbing
museums when youre not denouncing the evils of truth and
love, or maybe you dont have a single point in this skill and
instead rely on an allowance from your parents or a government
grant given to travelling trainers.
Make sure you talk to your GM and explain exactly what your
Livelihood skill refers to. With options ranging from paranormal
researcher to artist, travelling salesman to rock star, librarian to
battle gambler, your specific set of skills and knowledges could
be just about anything!

Outdoors: The great outdoors is where traditionalist

trainers will probably spend the majority of their time, making

this an invaluable skill! It covers everything from knowing how
to navigate by the stars or by landmarks, how to avoid natural
hazards or let you sneak up on a sleeping Pokmon without
stepping on twigs, or maybe even things as obscure as
communicating messages over long distances with smoke
signals. A character without a bonus to Outdoors is probably a
city kid through and through, or maybe they just dont see the
appeal in sleeping out under the stars when they could be
getting room service instead.

Social: Your social skill determines how easily you can handle

yourself and how often you get your way. Youd roll this skill to
lie, persuade, ask around for information, or just be the center
of attention thanks to your winning personality. A character
without any points of Social might be incredibly shy or a loud
braggart that people find obnoxious, or they might simply prefer
the company of Pokmon to people.

Livelihood: A profession or hobby that helps you get by.

Independence comes with responsibilities, after all! This skill

grants you knowledge relating to your chosen vocation, and you
can roll it whenever your livelihood would help out in a given
situation. For example, a budding photographer might use it to
snap an action shot of someone cheating in an official match, or
a hiker that gives walking tours could use it to correctly identify
a fossil the team discovered. As a nurses aid you know how to
take care of sick Pokmon and as a street performer you could
cause a distraction for your allies.

Trainer Influence Points

You're special. So special, in fact, that you have access to a

special resource known as Trainer Influence Points - or just TIPs,
for short. You start each adventure with a minimum of one
Trainer Influence Point (as well as any extras you might have
accumulated), so you can spend them to allow your character to
do something neat once per storyline adventure. They may:

Catching Pokmon

been with you for a significant period of time. If you don't like
the new result you can always choose to stick with the previous
nature.

Catching Pokmon instead of just outright defeating them in

battle is easily the best way to improve your team adding type
diversity and experimenting with lots of different Pokmon is
every trainers first step on the way to greatness.

Throwing a Pokball takes your trainer action. A Pokmon
automatically resists all attempts to be captured until its been
reduced down to 50% of its health or less, and you cant capture
a Pokmon that already belongs to another trainer.

Upon using a Pokball, roll a d20 and consult the following list.
Add any relevant modifiers or penalties you see there. If the
result is 15 or better when youre finished, congratulations
you succeed and your target Pokmon is caught!

If your target is at 25% of its health or less, add a +2 bonus.
For each status effect on the target (Rattled, Dormant, or
Ongoing Damage), add a +2 bonus.
Great balls add a +2 bonus, and Special Balls add +4 bonus.
If the Pokmon is a docile critter that has been sedated with
Pokmon Food, add a +4 bonus.
If your target is fully evolved, subtract 2 from your roll.
If your target is a legendary Pokmon, subtract 6 from your
roll.

Remember that since most legendary Pokmon dont evolve,
those last two types of penalties often go hand-in-hand,
combining to create an 8-point penalty.

When a Pokmon is sucked inside a Pokball, the Pokball starts
trying to convert the critter into a digital and energy-based
format. If a Pokmon manages to resist and break free, it also
destroys the delicate machinery of the Pokball in the process.

While some young trainers might balk at the idea of their pocket
monsters being transformed in such a way, most actual
Pokmon dont mind one whit. Its not that much different from
evolution, and if they ever get scratched up, a Pokcenter can
repair the code itself in a heartbeat. Plus, it beats hanging out
being bored all day while your trainer carts you around.

Earning TIPs

Evolving Pokmon

Add a d6 to any dice roll. The TIP must be spend prior to the
roll being made - you can't see that you 'missed by one' and
adjust the roll afterwards. It might be used to add an extra
Defense Dice or to improve a roll when trying to catch a wild
Pokmon, or even to improve a skill check when you know you
just gotta succeed.

Breed a Pokmon of the same basic species as one of the

creatures they own. Some GMs might shoot for a sense of
realism by demanding the trainer present a compatible partner,
but for the most part, the Pokmon breeding process is barely
understood. Some species lay eggs without a mate, others
spread a special pollen overnight that lets a new member of
their species grow, and so on. In some cases, a GM might rule
that the egg stage is skipped altogether, or insist that some
Pokmon are too one-of-a-kind to breed (such as the trainers
starters). Legendary Pokmon cannot be duplicated by
spending a TIP.
The new Pokmon will be unevolved and relaxed, with no
interest in battling the trainer or their allies. The Pokmon must
still be captured with a Pokball to be used in
battles...otherwise, in time it says goodbye to its parent or
parents and heads off into the wild to fend for itself.

Re-roll a Pokmon's nature, even for Pokmon that have

Of course, just because the heroes only start each adventure

with a minimum of one point doesnt mean they cant earn
more. GMs might award an Influence Point to a trainer whos in
a nearly-unwinnable fight, or after achieving a personal goal or
seeing the positive outcome of a tricky decision they made.

A Pokmon that evolves keeps their moves and any permanent

stat increases they may have obtained (from Vitamins, for
example), but gains a different spread of stats and sometimes
even a different type or ability. Some man-made items can
prevent evolution, but theyre relatively uncommon.

Players should only get an extra TIP every two or three game
sessions or so it shouldnt be a constant thing.

In order to evolve, a Pokmon must have participated in a

minimum of two battles. Beyond this minimal restriction, the
exact timing of a Pokmons evolution boils down to GM
jurisdiction. It could even happen in a dramatically-appropriate
moment like the middle of a battle.

Trading, Storing, and Releasing

Most major cities have a trading terminal where the young and
old alike gather to find new homes for their Pokmon. While
specialty breeders show up with entire litters of young Pokmon
and famous trainers are keeping an eye out for the best of the
best, mostly these terminals are filled with people looking to
trade for something exotic or new to add to their collections.

Accuracy

This is determined by that d20 we just mentioned, plus any
bonuses or penalties to the roll you might have. If your accuracy
results in a number thats equal to or greater than your targets
Evasion (which is just his SPD score plus any extra bonuses it
might have), the attack hits. Right on!
If you roll too low, the attack misses and your turn is over.

Theres no limit to the number of Pokmon a trainer can carry

with them at any given time, but since six is the highest number
that can be registered for official tournaments and contests,
most trainers agree that spreading your attention out across
more than 6 Pokmon isnt a great idea.
Some trainers have perks that permanently grant an ability or
another benefit to a single Pokmon they own. If the Pokmon
they selected is traded away, released back into the wild, or
otherwise cant benefit from the perk anymore, the perk is
refunded back to the trainer.

Battle

Over many generations the rules involved in a Pokmon battle

have become highly standardized. There arent that many
differences between an official match and, say, having a one-on-
one battle to settle an issue with some thug in the middle of
nowhere. It's widely considered to be against the rules to, say,
spray a full can of repel on your opponent's pokmon.
Each trainer agrees upon the number of Pokmon that will be
used in the fight ahead of time. Then, each combatant attempts
to knock out their opponents Pokmon one at a time, until one
side has no companions still fit for battle.
In official matches the number of Pokmon is pre-determined;
although three is usually the magic number, the absolute
maximum has always been six. Other rules such as no items
being allowed, time limits, two-on-two matches, and so on are
all decided ahead-of-time as well. Trainers get no say in the
rules during an organized or official match. If a Gym Leader
declares itll be a three-on-three match and you only have one
Pokmonwell, tough luck.
At the start of your turn you may either perform a trainer action
like throwing a Pokball, using a healing item, or calling back
your current Pokmon and switching it for another battler. Most
of the time, however, your trainer action will be to command
your active Pokmon to use one of the moves it knows. The
Pokmon does so immediately.
If youre attacking, youll roll an Accuracy die a d20, and a
handful of Offense Dice, which are represented with a few d6. If
youre defending, you get d6 Defense Dice instead. Well talk
about those in a moment.
If your Pokmon takes enough damage that they get reduced to
0 hit points, theyre unable to battle any further.

If you roll a natural 20 on that twenty-sided die, this critical

success means that not only does your attack automatically hit,
but you get to count it as a successful roll on an Offense Dice
too.

Offense Dice

In addition to the accuracy d20, you also get a couple of six-

sided dice. Normally, nothing happens if they land on five or
lessbut a 6 counts as a success on one of these Offense Dice. It
cancels out and negates a 6 on a Defense Dice rolled by your
target (if any) and, if you have any 6s left over, you can
Deal critical damage, doubling the total amount of damage
that gets dealt by the attack!
Trigger a status effect or other special function caused by a
keyword, such as Weakening.
If you roll 2 more successes than your opponent, you can choose
to do both these options!
You automatically start with 2 Offense Dice, and you get a bonus
dice if youre using a move with a Type your opponent is Weak
to. If your opponent is doubly Weak to your attack such as a
water/flying Pokmon getting hit with an electric attack - you
get an extra 2d6 instead. Certain abilities, moves and even
trainer perks can modify the number of Offense Dice you get.

Defense Dice
When your Pokmon is the target of an aggressive action you
also get to roll one a pair of six-sided dice. You get a bonus dice
if your Pokmon has a resistance to the type of move that would
be used, and you can acquire more through moves, perks and
abilities. Just like with an Offense dice, nothing generally
happens if they land on five or less but a result of 6 counts as a
success. A success on a Defense Dice cancels out a success on an
Offense Dice rolled by your opponent (if any) and, if you have
any 6s left over, you can
Resist damage, halving the total amount of damage that gets
dealt by the attack!
End the effects of a status effect or hazard currently affecting
you.
If you're afflicted by a status effect - like frozen Dormant in a big
block of ice, for example - you still roll Defense Dice every single
round, even if your opponent chooses not to attack you.

Status Effects

Teamwork Attacks

There are three different status effects that can cause

detrimental effects to your Pokmon. Unless specified
otherwise, status effects can generally only be removed by using
an item, waiting until combat ends, or by rolling enough 6s on
your Defensive Dice that you not only cancel out all of your
attackers successes, but have at least one more success left
over.

Every trainer knows that travelling with others is smarter than

braving the wilds all alone. And not only is working with other
trainers the safest way to hike cross-country, but co-operative
tactics have been known to win battles when wild pokmon
attack.

Ongoing Damage is described as a nasty burn, poison

chemicals, toxic fumes, or worse, and works exactly as you
might expect. The affected Pokmon loses 5 hit points at the
end of each of their turns.

Rattled Pokmon might be confused, paralyzed, angry,

dazzled, or even unwilling to fight due to being love-struck. At
the start of each turn roll a d6 dice; on a result of 1 the Pokmon
can't act, on a 2-3 the Rattled Pokmon uses a random move (or
one chosen by the GM, in some cases), and on a result of 4-6
they act normally.

Dormant Pokmon are either frozen in place physically or

shut down mentally, such as from a psychic blast, getting
trapped inside a block of stone, or simply needing a mid-battle
nap. The Pokmon cant use any moves that dont have the
Unrestrained keyword and are treated as having an evasion
score of zero attacks always hit them. The Dormant status
effect is unique in that it ends automatically on the Pokmons
third turn after being afflicted by it, and they cant gain the
status again for the rest of the battle.

This space reserved for any additional status

effects or rules that may be needed after
playtesting.

The description of a Teamwork Attacks is limited only by your

imagination. Maybe your hard-shelled pokmon helps an ally
block attacks, or maybe your water-type creates a stream of
liquid for the ice-type to transform into a platform, and so on.
Regardless of how such a manoeuvre is described, it allows a
player to choose to give up one their Offense Dice or Defense
Dice each turn. If they do so, one allied pokmon of their choice
gets that benefit instead.

Difficult Terrain

In addition to weather effects (listed on the upcoming page), all

sorts of difficult terrain can make battles tricky for our heroes. A
slippery, ice-covered battlefield can be just as tough to handle
as a non-aquatic pokmon forced to battle underwater. From
quicksand pits to a gym being set up like an enormous pinball
machine, all of these difficult types of hazards are collectively
grouped up under the title of Difficult Terrain

Trainer Advancement

While pokmon are constantly improving, your trainer only

earns new skills and perks whenever they reach a major
milestone in their life, such as accomplishing a long-term goal.
Generally speaking, a trainer should reach one of these
milestones every three game sessions or so. This might be as
simple as acquiring a Gym Badge or as convoluted as
documenting the life cycle of a rare species of pokmon.
Reaching one of these milestones grants your trainer a
permanent +1 to any two different skills of your choice (to a
maximum of +10) and any one Perk. Most short campaigns will
end after reaching only two or three of such milestones, and we
recommend that a LONG-term campaign should end after no
more than eight or nine trainer improvements.

Weather Effects

The weather is usually considered to be unremarkable; slightly

overcast skies with fluffy clouds. But cases of extreme weather
either naturally-occurring or caused by a Pokmons move can
change how a battle plays out. Only one type of weather can be
active at any given time. If a new type of weather is caused by a
move, it replaces the prior effect.
Each type of weather favours one or more elemental types in
such weather, the listed types of Pokmon gain an additional
Offense Dice or Defense Dice, their choice.

Sunny weather refers to an extremely hot and sweltering day.

This weather benefits Fire, Bug and Grass-type Pokmon. All
other types of Pokmon have their energy sapped by the
intense heat, and can only use a maximum of one superior move
while the heat lasts, and cant access signature moves at all.

Raining weather denotes a constant downpour, usually

combined with an unpleasant blustery wind. This weather
benefits Water, Flying and Electric-type Pokmon. All other
types of Pokmon suffer a -2 penalty to their evasion due to the
muddy and slippery ground.

Hailing weather is the result of rain turning to hard ice balls.

This environment is unique in that it only Ice-type Pokmon, and
all others suffer 5 points of damage at the start of every turn.

Sandstorms involve powerful winds whipping up hard shards

of sand and rocks and making it nearly impossible to see. This
weather benefits Rock, Steel and Ground-type Pokmon. All
other types of Pokmon suffer a -2 penalty to their accuracy.

Foreboding weather is often associated with an eerie quiet, a

rolling fog or the feeling that youre being watched. This
weather benefits Ghost, Dark and Poison-type Pokmon. All
other Pokmon need two successes on their Defensive Dice in
order to remove status effects and similar effects during
foreboding weather instead of just one.

Serene weather is a feeling of calmness or general good cheer.

While it might be the result of a legendary Pokmons
supernatural influence on an area, Serene weather is just as
often caused by a dazzling rainbow after a harsh downpour, or
found in the lights and excitement at a major festival. This
weather benefits Normal, Psychic and Fighting-type Pokmon
the most, but during Serene weather the other types of
Pokmon cannot add bonuses to their rolls, and no Pokmon
needs to suffer penalties to their rolls regardless of their type.

Troublesome

Although most wild Pokmon generally work well with their new
trainers, some particularly unruly and vicious specimens can be
downright frustrating! They are considered to be Troublesome.
A Pokmon might be troublesome after being traded away by a
trainer who loved them, due to unhappiness about being
caught, or simply the feeling that their current owner is an unfit
trainer which might be caused by fear, disrespect, or
arrogance. Ultimately, how long a Pokmon stays troublesome
boils down to roleplaying and GM discretion.
Troublesome pokmon flat-out refuse to listen to their trainer,
and are treated as always being Rattled in combat - they 50%
chance each round to either laze around doing nothing or use a
move chosen by the GM.

Nature

A Pokmon's nature determines not only its personality and

how they interact with their trainer, but also how they behave in
battle. An excitable Pokmon, for example, is likely to be one of
the first ones to leap into action, but they tired quickly due to a
lower RES score.
When you obtain a Pokmon, you roll a 1d20 - the result
dictates the nature of your Pokmon. If a Nature would ever
reduce a Pokmon's stat to less than 1 or more than 10, re-roll!

(1) Calm: No change
(2) Adventurous: +1 PWR, -1 RES
(3) Brave: +1 PWR, -1 SPD
(4) Reckless: +1 PWR, - 1 INT
(5) Peaceful: +1 RES, -1 PWR
(6) Grumpy: +1 RES, -1 SPD
(7) Fickle: +1 RES, -1 INT
(8) Silly: +1 SPD, -1 PWR
(9) Excitable: +1 SPD, -1 RES
(10) Restless: +1 SPD, -1 INT
(11) Odd: +1 INT, -1 PWR
(12) Relaxed: +1 INT, -1 RES
(13) Timid: +1 INT, -1 SPD
(14) Stalwart: +1 PWR and RES, -1 SPD and INT
(15) Rowdy: +1 PWR and SPD, -1 RES and INT
(16) Cheeky: +1 PWR and INT, -1 RES and SPD
(17) Determined: +1 RES and SPD, -1 PWR and INT
(18) Lazy: +1 RES and INT, -1 PWR and SPD
(19) Competitive: +1 SPD and INT, -1 PWR and RES
(20) Alpha: +1 to all stats, but the Pokmon is Troublesome.

Items

When you make a new trainer you choose three Cheap Items your character possesses.
After the end of each adventure, the heroes have the opportunity to dip into their savings to replenish their supplies when theyre in
an urban area. The GM has the final say on when this is appropriate. You can pick a Cheap item without needing to roll, but getting a
Valuable or Expensive item takes a Livelihood skill check a Tricky skill check (12 or better) is required for Valuable items, and a
Hard check (18+) is necessary for Expensive ones. If you dont roll high enough to get your pre-selected category of item, you walk
away with nothing.
This shopping expedition varies drastically from character to character. A ranger might never set food inside a town, instead using
their outdoors know-how to pick up all the ingredients they'd need to make Pokmon Food or a Max Repel. A gangster might make a
phone call to his boss and pick up a care package at a discreet location a few hours later.
Every item can only be used once unless it is marked as either a (Special) or (Held Item). Special items generally provide non-combat
benefits to a trainer and can be used over and over, and Held Items must be given to a Pokmon to carry before they can gain the
listed effects. A Pokmon can only hold one item at a time.
This list is by no means complete theres all sorts of interesting items out in the world just waiting to be discovered. If you have a
suggestion for an item and its function to help flesh-out this otherwise-unfinished section, such as a bicycle, pokdoll, music
instrument, fossil-hunting kit, or just about anything else, please suggest it to the GM!

Cheap Items
Name

Type

Balloon

Held

Berry

Held

Leftovers

Held

Mail

Usable

Old Rod

Special

Potion

Usable

Pokball

Usable

Pokmon Food

Usable

Repel

Usable

Scarf

Held

Town Map

Special

Effect

Before rolling Defense Dice, a Pokmon holding a balloon can choose to gain an automatic
success on their roll. They may only spend Defense Dice to reduce the damage from an attack or
cancel out an opponents success. After the balloon is used in this way, it pops, floats away, or is
otherwise destroyed.
A Pokmon will automatically eat this when their health would be reduced to 0 or less from an
attack, and leaving them with 5 HP instead. Can only be used once.
Attacks that are made against a Pokmon holding leftovers roll one additional Offense Dice, but
the Pokmon regains 3 hit points at the start of your turn.
Usually delivered by a specially-trained Pokmon, Mail can be sent containing letters or even
items! to anyone in the world, even if you dont know where they are.
Although commonly used as a fishing rod, in reality this item is little more than a lure and bait
attached to a long string and works equally well on dry land. Using an Old Rod during or just
prior to a wild battle takes an easy Outdoors skill check. If you succeed, one additional Pokmon
joins the current/upcoming battle and fights against you! The Pokmon must be unevolved and
of a species already present in the fight. This increases the overall difficulty of the battle but
grants the trainers more Pokmon to potentially capture. Only one extra Pokmon can be
added to a fight in this fashion.
Using this restores 10 hit points to one of your Pokmon.
Use this to catch a wild Pokmon as an action on your turn. You can only use one each round!

Made from a flavoured blend of berries and other healthy ingredients, using Pokmon Food
allows all of the Pokmon in the party to completely regain all their health after a good nights
sleep, when otherwise theyd need to be healed at a Pokmon Center in a major city. It can also
be scattered during battle with a Trainer action to make wild Pokmon easier to capture,
granting a +4 bonus on catching rolls. This secondary bonus does not consume the
itemhowever, it is only effective when the characters are first setting out on their journey,
and are encountering docile Pokmon used to human contact!

This foul-smelling chemical concoction keeps wild Pokmon away! Using it in battle as a trainer
action lets you choose one un-evolved Pokmon in the fight. That Pokmon must either run

away to escape the horrible smell or lose one Defensive Dice until the battle ends.

Before rolling Offense Dice, a Pokmon wearing a scarf can choose to gain an automatic success
on their roll. They may only spend Offense Dice to cause an effect or cancel out an opponents

success. After the scarf is used in this way, it becomes frayed and is destroyed.
You can consult the Town Map to learn the details of any town you visit, ranging from local

landmarks and tourist attractions to the gyms speciality.

Valuable Items
Name

Type

Ether

Usable

Good Rod

Special

Great Ball

Usable

Herbal Remedy

Usable

Lemonade

Usable

Pokdex

Special

Silph Scope

Special

Super Potion

Usable

Super Repel

Usable

Name

Type

Effect
Using an Ether allows your currently-active Pokmon to use all of the Superior and Signature
moves it knows twice in a single fight instead of just once.

Using a Good Rod during or just before battle takes a tricky Outdoors skill check. A success
means that one additional Pokmon joins the fight against you! The Pokmon must be

unevolved and of a species indigenous to the area, but not necessarily already present in the
battle. Only one extra Pokmon can be added to a fight in this fashion.
As a standard Pokball, but grants a +2 bonus to your d20 catching roll.

Using a Herbal Remedy automatically removes one negative status effect of your choice from a

Pokmon.
Real winners drink lemonade! There's enough of this delicious thirst-quencher to go around,

and it grants a +2 bonus to every character's skill checks til the end of the adventure!

By scanning a Pokmon with this common trainer tool, you can learn basic facts about the
species by accessing a global database. In turn, this passively helps feed information about its

location and activities back to the database.
A trainer who owns a Silph Scope can attack Ghost-type Pokmon as though they didnt have an

immunity to Normal attacks.
Applying a Super Potion restores 25 hit points to one of your Pokmon.

Using a Super Repel in battle as a trainer action helps turn a difficult encounter in your favour.

Choose one enemy Pokmon - that creature must either flee from the fight or lose one
Defensive Dice until combat ends.

Expensive Items

Evo. Stone

Usable

Hyper Potion

Usable

Max Repel

Usable

PlusPower

Usable

Revival Herb

Usable

Scanner

Special

Special Ball

Usable

Super Rod

Special

Vitamins

Usable

Name

Fossil

Type

Usable

Master Ball

Usable

Rare Candy

Usable

T.M.

Usable

Effect

Certain Pokmon must absorb the energy from an Evolution Stone in order to trigger evolution.
This item fully restores the hit points of one Pokmon when used.

Spraying this as a trainer action in battle allows you to select one Pokmon and cause it to make
a tough decision either run away, or roll two fewer Defensive Dice until combat ends and it
can wash the stuff off.
Until your Pokmon is knocked out or called back, they roll either one extra Offense Dice or one

extra Defense Dice your choice.
Using this as a trainer action allows you to wake up a fainted or knocked-out Pokmon, granting

it 10 hp.

Using this on a trainer provides a complete list of all his registered information real name, age,
hometown, and so on. This might even include things like battling style or most-commonly-used

Pokmon if the individual is a notable trainer.

As a standard Pokball, but grants a +4 bonus to your d20 catching roll when certain criteria is
met. For example, a Net Ball might grant a +4 bonus to catch Water and Bug-type Pokmon,

while a Dusk ball would grant the bonus at night or when used deep in a cave.

Using this item takes a hard skill check, but a success means that one additional Pokmon joins
the battle (as always, already aggressive towards you and your friends). The Pokmon lured out

can be just about anything. Only one extra Pokmon can be added to a fight in this fashion.
These multivitamins can permanently increase one of your Pokmons attributes (such as RES or

INT) by 1 point. A Pokmon cant ever gain the benefits of more than 2 vitamins.
Priceless Items
Effect

Not only do these relics from the distant past teach us about the lives of prehistoric pokmon,
they also contain trace amounts of DNA that could be used to recreate ancient species in a

proper scientific laboratory! These rare 'fossil pokmon' are always partially Rock-type and start
with the superior move 'Ancient Power.'
When you use a Master Ball to try and catch a wild Pokmon, it automatically succeeds if the

target is below 50% health. No d20 roll is necessary, even for legendary Pokmon.
Feeding this delicious (and nearly impossible-to-manufacture) snack to a pokmon permanently

increases their maximum health by 10.

Each Technical Machine or TM for short has been imprinted with information about one

specific Move. To use a TM the player needs only to choose a Pokmon they own, and the GM
must agree that the move actually makes sense for that Pokmon. For example, a whale-like

creature wouldnt be able to learn Double Kick or Fly. TMs that teach superior moves are much
more difficult to teach to your average Pokmon.

Pokmon Stats

Each Pokmon has four main stats, usually ranging from 2-10.
The power stat (PWR) is a Pokmons strength, and denotes
how much damage they can dish out with their physical attacks.
Most moves deal damage equal to the users PWR stat.
Resolve (RES) helps determine how tough and hardy your
Pokmon is, increasing their hit points dramatically. Pokmon
start with 10 hit points, plus 5 hit points for each point of
Resolve they possess. This total value is called their 'maximum
HP' - they can't ever gain more HP than this from healing effects.
When a Pokmon runs out of hit points, they faint!
Speed (SPD) is how fast and evasive your Pokmon is. The
creature with the highest speed stat goes first in a fight, and you
need to roll higher than your opponent's SPD on the d20
accuracy roll in order for the attack to hit.
A higher Intelligence (INT) score helps your Pokmon evolve
faster and learn more powerful moves. At the end of each
combat, you roll your Smarts score plus a d20 to try to get 15 or
better - doing so permanently nets you a superior move instead
of a regular one.

Allocating Stat Points

The first thing that youll notice is that theres no universal guide
to what stats each species of Pokmon has each GM gets to
make that judgement call when they introduce a new species
into their games, whether canon or something theyve invented
themselves. However, there are some very specific rules about
how many points a species gets to distribute.
Pokmon with a three-stage evolutionary chain (like
Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard) have the following
numbers of points allocated to their stats;
First Evolution: 14, with no stat naturally occurring above 7.
Second Evolution: 18, with no stat naturally occurring above 8.
Final Evolution: 22, with no stat naturally occurring above 9.
Starters gain an additional +1 stat in their final evolutionary
form.

Pokmon with a two-stage line (such as Pikachu to Raichu) gain
the following;
First Evolution: 16, with no stat naturally occurring above 8
Final Evolution: 20, with no stat naturally occurring above 9

Pokmon who do not evolve at all (such as Snorlax) are built on
20 points, with no stat naturally occurring above 8.
Some Pokmon are Late Bloomers (such as Magikarp), meaning
they suffer a -1 or -2 point penalty to all of their non-final
evolutions in order to add that collected value as a bonus to
their final stage.

Legendary Pokmon are built with 30 points, with no maximum

stats.
If a Pokmon is of two types that cause it to suffer a whole slew
of disadvantages say, a Bug/Grass type a GMs may choose to
give those Pokmon an additional +2 stat points during each
stage of the evolution. Conversely, powerful type combinations
such as Water/Dragon or Dark/Ghost might be built with 2
fewer stat points to compensate at the GMs discretion.

Sample Pokmon Species

Lets use Bulbasaur to demonstrate how this stat allocation

works.
Bulbasaur is the first Pokmon is a
three-step evolutionary line, since
itll eventually evolve into an
Ivysaur and then a Venusaur. This
means it gets 14 points to allocate
among its stats, with no score
higher than a 7 in any of them.
The GM decides that ALL
bulbasaurs, not just this one, have the following stats; 4 PWR, 4
RES, 2 SPD, and 4 INT. Pretty balanced across the board, with a
lower SPD score because he thinks that the four-legged
Pokmon doesnt look very quick.
Since it needs an ability, our GM decides that Bulbasaurs in his
world randomly either start with Overgrow the same ability
they get in the games or Solar Power. He likes the idea that
Bulbasaurs bulb helps gives the Pokmon a bit of extra energy
by drawing power from the sun. He decides hell flip a coin to
see which ability this particular Bulbasaur has, and it winds up
being Overgrow.
He chooses a couple of moves for the Pokmon and voil its
ready to leap into action as part of a wild encounter or an NPC
trainers team. This particular Pokmon is part of a wild
encounter, and that means theres one last step that takes place
IF it gets captured by a player; nature. After a trainer catches the
wild Bulbasaur, they roll a d20 to determine its general attitude.
In this example the player ends up rolling a Peaceful nature,
giving it a +1 bonus to its RES stat at the cost of 1 point being
taken way from PWR. This Pokmon is tough (with 35 hp) and
smart (meaning itll learn superior moves more often), but not
very fast or strong. Later on the trainer uses a vitamin to
permanently give it a +1 bonus to INT.
When Bulbasaur evolves and turns into an Ivysaur, it will have a
brand-new set of attributes build on 18 points instead of
14...plus a +1 bonus to INT at the very end, thanks to the
vitamin! The GM decides that this form has pretty similar
attributes, and when all is said and done, Ivysaur has 5 PWR, 7
RES, 2 SPD, and 5 INT.

Abilities

This section is unfinished, and although abilities are already

written, will be introduced on a case-by-case basis so that
tweaks can be made (if needed) before they get introduced to
the game.

Learning Moves

When combat ends, the Pokmon who did the bulk of the work
for each trainer gets a new move. Roll a d20 while your GM
decides on a couple of appropriate options that make sense for
your companion, and add your Pokmons INT stat to the result.
Getting a total of 15 or better means your Pokmon can choose
from one or two superior moves the GM offers, and rolling
anything less means that you can choose from a minimum of
two standard moves instead.
GMs may choose to rule that encounters that werent a
challenge to the Pokmon and their trainer dont grant a new
move, but these situations should be extremely rare in most
cases.
A Pokmon can only ever remember a maximum of 6 moves at a
time, and at least two one of them have to be standard moves.
If a Pokmon ever learns a seventh move, they simultaneously
lose access to one of their older moves.

Standard Moves

With familiar names like Tackle and Absorb, standard moves are
built with 5 points. You can use them as many times in a fight as
you want, and they generally stay useful throughout a
Pokmons entire battling career.

Superior Moves

Built using 8 points instead of 5, the title of these moves is

actually a bit of a misnomer. While they sometimes do
represent flat-out better versions of a Pokmons previous
movelistlike Slam or Mega Draintheyre just as often unique,
situational moves that suffer severe drawbacks or limitations. A
Pokmon may only use each of their Superior moves once per
battle!

Signature Moves

When a Pokmon you own evolves, or reaches a major

milestone and is unable or unwilling to evolve any further you
construct a special attack exclusive to that Pokmon. These
signature moves and a part of the special bond the two of you
share; if the Pokmon is ever traded or given away they lose
access to the move, and other Pokmon cant learn another
creatures signature move from it.
Signature Moves are constructed using 8 points, the same as a
Superior move. Work with your GM using the system to the
right to build something.

A trainer may only use one signature move per battle, no matter
how many they and their Pokmon have available to them.

Weaknesses and Resistances

Not all the elemental types are created equally. When building
new Pokmon with unusual type combinations, use the list
below to help determine at a glance where their strengths and
weaknesses lie.

Words marked in red refer to immunities instead of just
resistances; moves of that type have no effect whatsoever
against the defender.

Type
+1 Offense Dice vs:
+1 Resistance Dice vs:
Bug
Dark, Grass, Psychic
Fighting, Grass,
Ground
Dark
Ghost, Psychic
Dark, Ghost, Psychic
Dragon
Dragon
Electric, Fire, Grass,
Water
Electric
Flying, Water
Electric, Flying, Steel
Fighting
Normal, Rock, Steel,
Bug, Dark, Rock
Ice, Dark
Fire
Bug, Grass, Ice, Steel
Bug, Fire, Grass, Ice,
Steel
Flying
Bug, Fighting, Grass
Bug, Fighting, Grass,
Ground
Ghost
Ghost, Psychic
Bug, Poison, Fighting,
Normal
Grass
Ground, Rock, Water
Electric, Grass,
Ground, Water
Ground
Electric, Fire, Poison,
Poison, Rock, Electric
Rock, Steel
Ice
Dragon, Flying, Grass,
Ice
Ground
Normal
None
Ghost
Poison
Grass
Bug, Fighting, Poison,
Grass
Psychic
Fighting, Poison
Fighting, Psychic
Rock
Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice
Normal, Fire, Flying,
Poison


Bug, Dark, Dragon,
Steel
Ice, Rock
Flying, Ghost, Grass,
Ice, Normal, Psychic,
Rock, Steel, Poison
Water
Fire, Ground, Rock
Fire, Ice, Steel, Water

Move Keywords

When a move is created, give it an elemental Type - either

Normal, Water, Grass, Ground, Bug, Fire, Electric, Dragon,
Psychic, Ice, Ghost, Steel, Fighting, Rocky, Dark, Flying, or
Poison. Then, use the point-buy system found over the following
two pages to purchase additional keywords, or grab penalties to
give yourself a few extra points to work with.
Using a move that your target has a weakness to causes the
move to deal additional damage - you add +2 to the base
damage value and may roll an additional Offense Dice.
Conversely, using a move that your target is resistant to means
your target gains an additional Defense Dice. If a target is
immune to a certain elemental type, moves of that type don't
have any effect whatsoever on them!

Keyword

Cost

Attack
Special Attack

3
4

Utility

Variable Type

Accurate
Delay

1
1

False Swipe
Area

1
2

Blinding

Damage Bonus

Drain

Heal Block

Interrupt

Re-Roll

Status Effect

Switchout

Unrestrained

Weakening

Break Ability

Item Lock

Protection

Stat Up!

Trap

Vulnerability

Escape

Powerful
Hazard

4
5

Effect
The attack deals physical damage equal to the user's PWR stat.
The attack deals special damage equal to the user's PWR, RES, SPD or INT attribute, chosen when the
move is created.
The move deals no direct damage, but you are always treated as automatically rolling one success on
your Offense Dice against each target.
Enhancements
The move's Type is determined by conditions neither the pokmon or the trainer can control. For
example, a move that is normally Water type could transform into an Ice move during hailing weather.
The attack gains a +2 bonus to the accuracy roll.
The effects of the move - damage, status effects, and so on - don't occur right away. Instead they take
place at the end of the target's next turn.
The attack always leaves the target at a minimum of 1 hit point. It cannot cause an enemy to faint.
The move can hit two different targets. If you take this keyword twice you can hit three targets
instead, and so on. Roll against each target separately when making your attack.
You can spend a success on an Offense Dice to reduce your target's accuracy score by 2 points. This
lasts until the target faints, switches out, or removes the penalty via a success on a Defense Dice.
The attack deals an additional 2 points of damage when a certain condition is met - in specific types of
weather, when the user is fighting in their natural environment (such as underwater) and so on. This
cannot be combined with Limited.
After the damage-dealing attack harms the target, the user regains hit points equal to half the total
mount dealt.
You can spend a success on an Offense Dice to prevent your opponent from gaining any hit points until
the target faints, switches out, or removes the penalty via a success on a Defense Dice.
You may use a move with the Interrupt keyword at any time, even when it isn't your turn. You must
skip the next turn. A move with the interrupt keyword may only be used once per battle, and you can
only use one move with the Interrupt keyword each round. Can't be combined with Switchout or
Recharge.
If the attack misses you may reroll the d20 accuracy dice. If you choose to do so, the attack may not be
used again for the remainder of the battle.
You can spend a success on an Offense Dice to apply either the Dormant, Rattling, or Ongoing Damage
status effect, selected when the move is created. Status effects lasts until the target faints or removes
the penalty via a success on a Defense Dice.
At the end of the user's turn they may retreat back to their side of the field or return to their pokball.
The trainer is then given a free action which they must use to switch in a different Pokmon.
This move can be used normally when the user is afflicted a negative status effect that would
otherwise prevent them from acting.
You can spend a success on an Offense Dice to reduce one of your opponent's attributes by 2 points.
This lasts until the target faints, switches out, or removes the penalty via a success on a Defense Dice.
You can spend a success on an Offense Dice to remove your target's ability, or change his or your
ability into a different pre-determined one. This lasts until the target removes the penalty via a success
on a Defense Dice.
You can spend a success on an Offense Dice to prevent your opponent from using or benefitting from
any held item. If this keyword is taken twice, the item can be destroyed instead, or the user may steal
the held item (provided the user currently isn't holding anything).
The target or user gains a resistance to one pre-selected Type, such as Water or Fire. This replaces any
immunity or weakness they might have already had. This protection lasts until the target faints or an
opponent removes the benefit by spending a success on an Offense Dice.
Choose one attribute when the move is created. When used, the target or user of the move gains a +2
bonus to that attribute until they faint or get switched out.
You can spend a success on an Offense Dice to prevent your opponent from switching out or running
away. This lasts until the target removes the penalty via a success on a Defense Dice.
You can spend a success on an Offense Dice to give your opponent a weakness to one pre-selected
Type, such as Electric or Normal. This replaces any immunity or resistance they might have already
had. This vulnerability lasts until the target faints or removes the penalty via a success on a Defense
Dice.
The user removes themself from immediate danger by digging under the ground, flying into the air,
phasing into an alternate dimension, teleporting out of sight, and so on. They gain a +6 bonus to their
evasion score until they use a move without the Escape keyword.
The move deals triple damage on a critical effect instead of double damage.
You can spend a success on an Offense Dice to create a Hazard that lasts until a certain condition is
met. A hazard deals damage up to a maximum of once to each Pokmon on the field each round
whenever they perform a pre-specific condition. The hazard might deal damage when a Pokmon
switches in, attacks the user, or even attacks at all. Hazards deals damage equal to the user's SRT or
PWR score, and deals an extra 2 damage if the target is weak to the hazard's Type.

HP Restore

Never Miss
Nullify

5
5

Type Change

Copycat
Weather Effect
Wall

6
7
7

Fang

New Ability
Rule Change

8
8

Damage Penalty

Inaccurate

Limited

Recoil

Backlash

Split-Second

Recharge

The target or user of this move regains half of their maximum hit points, or 3 hit points every turn. This
move may not be used again for the remainder of the adventure.
The move can never miss regardless of the accuracy roll. This cannot be combined with Inaccurate.
Choose a keyword, such as Item Lock or Attack. Until combat ends, you may cause one move with the
pre-specified keyword to automatically miss as though it rolled a 1 on the accuracy check.
The user or target of this move changes all of their current Types to any other single Type. In some
rare cases Type Change might be random, or base the decision on other factors such as the local
environment or the type of the last move that was used before this one.
Copycat has all the same keywords and effects as any move that was used in the previous round.
The Pokmon creates a weather effect until combat ends.
The move creates a protective barrier. Choose either the Attack or Special Attack keyword - whenever
the Pokmon with your protective wall is struck by one of those moves they gain an additional
Defensive Dice. The Wall effect lasts until the user faints or is switched out.
The target has their total hit points reduced by half. This may never reduce a Pokmon to zero hit
points.
The target gains access to an additional pre-selected ability until combat ends.
A fundamental aspect of the battle is altered, such as both Pokmon being reduced to 0 hit points if
one is, or the Pokmon with the lower SPD attribute goes first each round. The Rule Change keyword
is almost always exclusive to moves created by the GM, and may not be applied to signature moves
without explicit permission.
Drawbacks
The move only deals normal damage when a certain type of condition is met - in specific types of
weather, against a certain type, species or gender of enemy, and so on. In other situations it deals 2
fewer points of damage. Cannot be combined with Limited or Damage Bonus.
The move - which must require an attack roll to hit - suffers a -2 penalty to the accuracy roll. This
keyword can be added multiple times but cannot be combined with Never Miss.
The move can only be used under specific circumstances that are determined when the move is
created; it can only be used when the user or target is at full health, afflicted by a specific status effect,
and so on.
After the damage-dealing attack harms the target, the user takes damage equal to half the total
mount dealt.
The move has a 50% chance to inflict the user or the friendly targeted pokmon with a negative status
effect.
Any status effects, hazards, rule changes and other non-damaging effects caused by the move only last
for one round. Split Second doesn't provide a point refund if it is used to reduce the duration of a
negative effect on a friendly pokmon.
The user loses their next turn. This keyword can't be combined with Interrupt or Switchout.