What is Pokémon Journeys?

Hey, if you’ve somehow stumbled upon this document and you have no idea what you’re reading, Pokémon
Journeys (PMJ) is a tabletop role-playing game set in the world of Pokémon with a primary focus on tactical
combat using a map and grid. Inspirations include, but are not limited to, tactical video game RPGs like Divinity:
Original Sin, and tactical tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition and Lancer.

Previously, we developed Pokémon Tabletop United, and some of us worked on Pokémon Tabletop Adventures
as well. We want to stress, however, that Pokémon Journeys is its own system and not intended as a PTU 2.0.

If you’re familiar with our previous Pokémon tabletop games or have been following PMJ development, then it’s
important for us to note that this packet does not include:
● Trainer creation rules or any Class and Style content for Trainers
● A complete set of non-combat rules such as traveling
● Completed progression rules
● A full featured item and gear system

Feel free to join our Discord server at https://discord.gg/2dzbT6r and give us feedback about the system!
How to Play PMJ
Non-Combat Gameplay
Most of a game session in PMJ should be a conversation, with no dice involved. The GM sets a scene, the players
narrate how they and their Pokémon act, and the GM narrates how the world and non-player characters (NPCs)
respond to the player characters’ (PCs) actions. For many actions, no resolution method beyond this is necessary
- a character can obviously open any door that isn’t obstructed or locked, a Staraptor can fly up to retrieve
something stuck in tree branches, a Machamp can lift a heavy barrel out of the way.

<Sidebar>Players are always in charge of narrating their Trainer’s actions, and we recommend that players
narrate their Pokémon’s simple actions as well but leave it up to the GM to add character to their Pokémon.
Generally, if a player is actively doing something with their Pokémon, they are in control, but a GM may take
over to have their Pokémon act in a situation where they’re otherwise idle or to have the Pokémon react to a
situation.

While a GM is in their rights to have Pokémon refuse to undertake a dangerous action, become afraid and
unable to act in a situation, or otherwise compromise a player’s control over their Pokémon, this should be done
very carefully and only with an eye to enhancing the roleplaying portrayal of the Pokémon. Pokémon Journeys
was created with the idea that Pokémon act as a reliable toolkit for their Trainers, and the non-combat
capabilities of both Trainers and Pokémon were calibrated under this expectation. In combat, players are
considered to have absolute control over their Pokémon.</Sidebar>

Skill Checks
When the outcome is less certain AND failure can continue to drive the story forward in an interesting way, use
Skill Checks. To do so, you and the GM discuss which Skill is most suitable for the challenge, then you roll 2d6
and add your Trainer or Pokémon's Skill Modifier (whoever is undertaking the challenge) for that given Skill.

Skill Modifiers range from –1 to +3.

Results
● On a 6 or lower, you generally fail and there is a complication that still drives the game forward.
● On a 7-9, you succeed at a cost or gain only a partial success.
● On a 10 or higher, you succeed cleanly.

Sometimes, you may roll with Advantage on a Skill Check or with Disadvantage because the GM decides the
circumstances are especially favorable or unfavorable to you. To roll with Advantage, roll 3 dice and keep the
highest 2. To roll with Disadvantage, roll 3 dice and keep the lowest 2. You cannot stack multiple instances of
Advantage or Disadvantage, but the two cancel each other out. So gaining Advantage once on a roll is no
different from gaining Advantage on that roll from two different sources. But if you were to also have
Disadvantage from a source on that roll, you would still have Advantage because one of the instances of
Advantage cancels that out.
<sidebar>The charts below show your chances of getting each result tier and of getting at least a limited success
for each of the possible modifier values.

Standard Roll -1 0 +1 +2 +3

Failure (6-) 58.33% 41.67% 27.78% 16.67% 8.33%

Limited Success (7-9) 33.33% 41.67% 44.45% 41.67% 33.33%

Clean Success (10+) 8.33% 16.67% 27.78% 41.67% 58.33%

At Least 7 41.67% 58.33% 72.22% 83.33% 91.67%

With Advantage -1 0 +1 +2 +3

Failure (6-) 31.94% 19.44% 10.65% 5.09% 1.85%

Limited Success (7-9) 48.15% 44.91% 37.04% 26.86% 17.6%

Clean Success (10+) 19.91% 35.65% 52.31% 68.06% 80.56%

At Least 7 68.06% 80.56% 89.35% 94.91% 98.15%

With Disadvantage -1 0 +1 +2 +3

Failure (6-) 80.56% 68.06% 52.31% 35.65% 19.95%

Limited Success (7-9) 17.6% 26.86% 37.04% 44.91% 48.15%

Clean Success (10+) 1.85% 5.09% 10.65% 19.44% 31.94%

At Least 7 19.44% 31.94% 47.69% 64.35% 80.09%

</sidebar>

Skill List
There are 9 Skills separated into 3 categories as follows.

Action Skills:
Force
● Wreck or move an obstacle
● Hold someone down or take something from them
● Quickly construct a barricade or other structure
Traversal
● Move quickly to a location without subtlety
● Cross dangerous terrain
● Chase someone or something
Survival
● Endure harsh environments and find the means to survive
 ● Resist toxins and shrug off fatigue
● Navigate new or confusing territories

Clever Skills:
Finesse
● Perform a delicate physical action, like picking someone's pocket
● Craft something that requires technique and dexterity
● Perform first aid or surgery
Focus
● Skillfully use technology or apply other professional knowledge
● Wield elemental powers in a precise and measured way
● Act under pressure and stay in control
Covertness
● Move somewhere silently and without being seen
● Pretend to be someone else

Social Skills:
Presence
● Command the attention of a crowd and lead them
● Intimidate someone or rouse them to anger
● Win friends with charm and style
Insight
● Sense when someone is hiding something or lying
● Understand the subtext or atmosphere of a social interaction
● Know who to ask for information or where to go
Sway
● Persuade someone with leverage or logic
● Lie convincingly

Skill Checks are not done in a vacuum and must look to the fiction of the situation. No matter how high your
Force modifier, a human Trainer won't be able to lift a boulder twice their size - but a Steelix, even with a lesser
Force modifier, may attempt that. A character who is a surgeon may perform a Finesse Skill Check for an
operation, but other characters without that training cannot attempt that at all.

<sidebar>You may also notice a lack of certain skills here. We believe questions of whether a character has
heard a certain piece of information before or knows a certain fact are better resolved without the dice, by
deciding if it makes sense and is interesting for a character to know. And we believe perception and search
checks are way overdone and belong in the trash. Resolve the scene based on how the players are describing
their investigatory efforts, and don't use the dice to determine whether they find a clue that is crucial for them
to continue the plot. </sidebar>
Effort
For each Skill that you have at least a +1 modifier for, you have 1 Effort for that category – Action, Clever, or
Social. For example, if you have +1 Force and +2 Traversal, you have 2 Effort for Action. Effort in the proper
category can be spent before making a Skill Check to gain Advantage on that roll (or cancel out Disadvantage).
Effort is also spent to lead a Group Action, for abilities from some Backgrounds, and for other effects. All Effort is
replenished when you take a Long Rest.

Example uses of Effort

● Spend Action Effort to roll with Advantage on your Traversal Skill Check
● Spend Clever Effort to roll Covertness to lead the whole party in sneaking into a location (lead a
Group Action)
● Spend appropriate Effort from one or more of your Ghost, Fairy, or Dark Pokémon to inflict a non-
combat curse on an NPC (Background ability)
● Spend Social Effort when you arrive in town to poke around and quickly learn who's secretly in
charge and the power dynamics of the town's social scene (Background ability)
● Spend appropriate Effort from one or more of your Poison Type Pokémon to create toxins and tools
to use out of combat (Background ability)
● Spend appropriate Effort from one of your Pokémon to activate a Capability like Wired or Phasing
(Capabilities)

Group Action
Sometimes, a character will take charge to lead the group in a type of action, such as helping the party sneak
past guards or to help the party all pass as criminal Team members while infiltrating a base. In this case, a
character can spend Effort on their role to make one role that covers themselves and any number of party
members, rather than risking party members with worse rolls having to roll on their own.

Scenes
Sometimes, an effect is noted to last until the end of a Scene or can only be used once per Scene. A Scene here is
a discrete unit of narrative time. If you cut to a new location or decide the primary conflict in a given situation is
resolved and you want to move on to something else, that’s generally the end of the Scene. Sometimes Scenes
are short, like a social meeting between a Gym Leader and the PCs at a Pokémon Center, but sometimes they
can be lengthy, such as an extended infiltration of a criminal Team base. During these extended sequences, it is
still a good idea to find stopping points for new Scenes.

Capturing Pokémon
In Pokémon Journeys, Pokémon can be captured with or without battling them. There are no formal rules
around how this happens outside of combat - you meet a Pokémon, and you roleplay convincing it to come
along with you. This may involve undertaking a quest to help it out, or it may be as simple as feeding it and
playing with it until it likes you enough to join you.

Once you have defeated a Pokémon in battle, you can also simply catch it afterwards. Just bop it with a Pokeball.
<sidebar>Why not catch Pokemon during battle? We’ve learned from previous forays into making Pokemon
tabletop games that in-battle capture mechanics just aren’t compelling - if it’s too difficult, you risk holding up
the game for an extended time trying to capture a mon; if it’s too easy then you risk turning Poke Balls into
shortcuts to defeat wild Pokemon foes. On top of that, it’s pretty difficult to come up with a compelling reason
why you can’t just capture a Pokemon after you defeated it, whether immediately or after waiting for it to wake
up again.</sidebar>

Pokémon Capabilities
Capabilities denote the special talents Pokemon can use thanks to their unique biology, elemental powers, or
other supernatural abilities. For the most part, you can think of these as narrative keys that let you do
something normally considered impossible, unlock an application for a Skill or grant Advantage on a Skill Check,
or bypass the need for a Skill Check altogether. An Amorphous Pokemon can slip through cage bars to retrieve a
small item within, a Ghost Pokemon with Phasing can pass through a wall to scout on the other side, a
Telekinetic Pokemon can pull a lever from across a dangerous spike pit.

While most Capabilities simply denote something that a Pokemon can always do freely, some Capabilities are
especially powerful narrative tools and require expending Effort to activate. This may cause a Capability to be
active for an entire Scene, or it may simply allow one use, depending on the Capability in question. With most
Capabilities that cost Effort, you may activate them by paying your Pokemon’s Recovery Value (1/4 of their Max
HP) in Health Points instead.

Phasing: Pokemon can activate this Capability by spending 1 Effort to gain X Charges of Phasing, where X equals
their Tier + 1. Charges of Phasing can be spent as a 2 AP Maneuver to discorporate for several seconds or for a
round of combat, allowing them to pass through solid objects and rendering them impervious to harm.
However, they cannot pass through materials with a non-trivial amount of electrical current running through
them. Most living beings are fine; their nervous systems aren’t enough to stop Phasing. Electric-Type Pokemon
and modern walls with wiring done in them will stop Phasing, however. Discorporated characters cannot take
any actions except to Move and to end their condition as a Free Action. All unspent Charges of Phasing are lost
at the end of a Scene.

Invisibility: Pokemon can activate this Capability by spending 1 Effort to become Invisible. While Invisible, they
are Hidden by default. Using an attack breaks Invisibility. When attacking an Invisible character, before rolling for
Accuracy, first roll 1d6. On a 1 to 3, the attack misses.

Telekinesis: This Pokemon can use psychic energy to manipulate and lift small objects of up to 5-10 pounds up
to X meters away, where X is their Tier + 1. Pokemon can spend 1 Effort to double this range and to enable lifting
larger objects, up to 20-30 pounds or half their body weight, whichever is higher.

Threaded: This Pokemon can take a Movement action by shooting a thread at a solid object capable of acting as
an anchor for the Pokemon to pull itself to the object. This takes a Movement Action and has a range of 5
squares.
Combat Gameplay
Combat is handled in a turn-based structure on a square gridded battle map. Much like other party-based
tactical combat games, Pokemon Journeys makes the assumption that you will have the entire party face off
against a threat at once, whether that be a group of wild Pokemon, a set of criminal Team grunts, or a Gym
Leader fielding multiple Pokemon at once or battling alongside Gym Trainers. Despite being based on Pokemon,
this game system is absolutely not designed for 1v1 battles.

At any given time, a player will have both their Trainer and one Pokémon on the battlefield, called a Battling
Pair. Combat is separated into units of time called rounds, and each Battling Pair takes one turn during a round.
Generally speaking, one battle is usually its own Scene, but sometimes back to back battles can constitute a
Scene when grouped together.

<Sidebar>The reason only one Pokemon per Trainer is active at a time is for game balance. You can come up
with an in-world reason for this if you want, but it might be better just to not directly address it. NPCs will often
command multiple Pokemon at once for encounter balance, and it’s fine to not directly address that either. Let’s
be honest, this is one of the less weird things about Pokemon we have to gloss over or ignore to make the
premise work.</Sidebar>

Initiative and Turns

Once combat is declared to begin, any Trainers who do not have a Pokémon released immediately release one
Pokémon. At this point, anyone who has a Pokémon out may also freely swap to a different Pokémon. Then, all
Battling Pairs are put into a turn order by the Initiative value of their Pokémon. Enemies will not always be
separated into Battling Pairs and may have their own Initiative value, even if they are humans, machines, or
other non-Pokémon entities.

Then, the Battling Pair or enemy with the highest Initiative takes the first turn. After their turn is over, the next
combatant takes their turn. And so on until all combatants have taken their turns. Then the round ends, any end
of round effects occur, and a new round begins.

A Battling Pair may choose to hold their turn until a later Initiative value. If they do, that becomes their new
Initiative value for the rest of the Scene (unless they Switch or their Initiative is changed in another way).

On their turn, a Battling Pair:

● Each take a Movement Action
● Take other actions with a total cost of 2 AP, but may use at most one Strike action between the two
of them
● Resolve any start and end of turn effects that may occur

You may take your Movement Actions and other actions in any order, but you cannot interrupt a Movement
Action to take another action and then complete the rest of that Movement Action.

A character may spend their Movement Action to:

 ● Move a number of squares up to their Movement value
● Disengage 1 square
● Stand up from Prone
● Use other effects that cost a Movement Action (ex: the Sniper's Take Aim Role Ability)

Moves, and the actions you take in combat in general, are categorized in the following ways:
● Strike: The most common Move type, these are damaging attacks.
● Trick: Usually a non-damaging Move that debuffs enemies.
● Maneuver: Usually a non-damaging Move that does not target enemies.

The Map, Terrain, and Movement

Characters take up spaces on the map based on their Size. There are three size categories:
● Small: 1x1 Token, 1 size value
● Medium: 1x1 Token, 2 size value
● Large: 2x2 Token, 3 size value

Characters count as blocking terrain for other foes of their size and smaller.

When moving diagonally, 1 space diagonal consumes 1 movement.

Many types of terrain and environmental effects can affect battle, but most can be summarized in the following
categories:
● Slow Terrain: Terrain like mud or deep sand that is more difficult to cross. A square of slow terrain
requires 2 movement to traverse. Size can sometimes be relevant to whether or not a given terrain type
counts as slow - a shallow but swift river might be slow terrain for Small Pokemon but not for Large
ones.
● Blocking Terrain: A wall, a cliffside, a tree. Blocking terrain cannot be moved through, breaks line of
sight, and cannot be attacked through.
● Rough Terrain: Rough terrain is tall grass, smoke, or other obscurations. Ranged attacks passing through
rough terrain take +1 Bane to Accuracy rolls. See the next section for details. Many forms of rough
terrain are also slow terrain.
● Cover: Cover is a physical obstruction that isn’t large or complete enough to count as blocking terrain
but still provides some protection from attacks. Cover acts as rough terrain and in addition causes
damaging ranged attacks passing through it to deal damage as if resisted one step further. A character
adjacent to a square of Cover does not take penalties attacking enemies through that Cover that are not
also adjacent to that square. See next section for details on resisting damage.

Attacks and Damage

An attack is generally any action that targets an enemy and usually involves making an Accuracy Roll against
their Defenses. To make an Accuracy Roll, roll 1d20, add any modifiers to the roll, and compare it to the relevant
Defense value on the target (as specified by the attack). If you meet or exceed the relevant Defense, your attack
succeeds. There are three different Defense types:
● Evasion: used to react quickly and dodge attacks
 ● Vigor: used to hold your ground against an attack or withstand noxious substances
● Resolve: used to resist mental and social influences in battle

Accuracy Rolls can have Boons and Banes applied to them.

● For each Boon, roll 1d6, then take the highest result of all d6 rolls and add that to your Accuracy
● For each Bane, do the same, but subtract the highest result from your Accuracy
● Boons and Banes cancel out on a 1:1 basis

Attacks that don’t deal damage will specify what effect they have on the target - often applying a Status
Condition, moving them around, or debuffing them in another way.

Attacks that deal damage have an associated damage value measured in “x Dice” terms - seen as “1D”, “2D”,
“3D”, etc. This means you roll that many dice for that attack’s damage roll and then add modifiers. Your
Pokemon’s Role and sometimes their Traits will determine what size die to roll, usually ranging from d6 to d10.

Damaging attacks also have two important characteristics - Type (Fire, Water, Grass, etc) and Category (Physical
or Special). Type determines whether the attack is resisted, is super-effective, or even does nothing at all.
Consult the Pokemon type chart from the video games for these interactions. Category denotes whether or not
a target’s Damage Reduction applies, and many Move and Ability effects key off of whether an attack is Physical
or Special.

All damaging attacks and some non-damaging attacks can Critically Hit. By default, you must roll a 20 on the
1d20 of an Accuracy Roll - don’t count modifiers, Boons, or Banes - to get a Critical Hit. Some effects modify your
Critical Hit range and decrease the value you need to roll. For example, if you have +2 to Critical Hit range, you
Critically Hit on an 18 or higher. Your Critical Hit Range cannot be increased past +6. On a Critical Hit, you deal
maximum damage for your dice roll instead of rolling.

Some attacks also have an Extra effect with a specified value, which is similar to a Critical Hit - you must achieve
that value or higher on the raw die result of your Accuracy Roll to get that effect. This range can also be
extended, and your Extra range cannot be increased past +6.

To make an attack, do the following:

● Choose your targets - the targeted characters, objects, or areas must be within the range of the attack
you are using.
● Determine if any Boons, Banes, or other modifiers apply to the Accuracy roll for your attack. The most
common source of these is terrain.
○ Melee attacks do not incur penalties from rough terrain or cover
○ Ranged attacks incur a 1 Bane penalty if they are made against an adjacent target
● Make the 1d20 Accuracy roll for your attack, applying any modifiers and check to see if that meets or
exceeds your target’s specified Defense - Evasion, Resolve, or Vigor
○ For attacks that hit multiple targets, roll separately for each target

So once you have determined an attack will deal damage, calculate damage in the following steps:
● Roll the base dice value - determine how many dice and what size
 ○ Your Role determines your die size - from d4 to d12 - and can be modified by Traits
○ The attack you’re using determines how many of those dice you roll
○ For each Tier you are above Tier 1, add one more die to your damage rolls
● Add your Damage Bonus - this is always equal to half your Level, rounded down
● Add any damage bonuses you have from Traits, Abilities, and other effects
● Subtract any Damage Reduction your target has
● Apply Effectiveness modifications
○ Normal effectiveness means the damage is unchanged.
○ If an attack is resisted, divide the damage by 2.
○ If an attack is super-effective, add +5 additional damage
○ If the target is immune, the attack does no damage but may still inflict additional non-damage
effects

Sidebar: Unlike the video games, steps of Resistance and Super-Effectiveness don’t exist in Pokemon Journeys!

Boosting Attacks
Trainers have a narrative resource called Boost Points that represents a combination of tactical acumen,
practiced plays your Pokemon can exercise with the right setup in battle, and the focus and reflexes to take
opportunities and openings in a fight. When you declare an attack, you may spend a Boost Point to improve it in
some way, such as always getting the Extra effect on an attack, hitting more targets, doing more damage, or
other effects.

Trainers begin with a maximum of 3 Boost Points and increase their max BP by 1 whenever they increase in Tier.
All spent BP are refreshed after a Long Rest.

Reading Moves
Let’s take a look at a sample Move and break it down.

Move: Psybeam Type: Psychic

Action: 1 AP, At-Will, Strike Targets: 6, 1 Target; vs Resolve
Hit: 2D Special Psychic Damage
Critical or Super-Effective Hit: The target is Confused (Save Ends).

Move obviously indicates the name of the Move.

Type indicates its Pokemon Type.
Action indicates what it costs to use a Move, how often you can use it, and what type of action it is. This has
three parts:
● AP Cost: How much AP you must spend to use a Move
● Frequency: How often a Move can be used. At-Will means you can use the Move as often as you want.
Scene X means you can use a Move X times a Scene. Daily X means you can use that Move X per Long
Rest.
● Strike, Maneuver, and Trick are categories of Moves, described previously. Some Moves fall into
multiple categories.
Targets indicates the range of the move, how many targets it can hit, and which Defense it targets (if relevant)
 ● Melee means targets within your Reach. By default, this means within one square. Some Pokemon have
extended Reach. +1 Reach, for example, means a Pokemon can hit anyone within 2 squares of them
with a Melee attack.
● Ranged indicates targets within a certain number of squares.
● X Targets means you can target X different characters within your range.
● There are several terms for Area attacks. Keep in mind these must still respect Blocking and Rough
Terrain and Cover
○ Close Burst X indicates all characters within X squares of you.
○ Line X means a straight Line X squares long drawn from your square.
○ Close Blast X means an X by X square placed adjacent to your character.
○ Ranged Blast X means an X by X square placed with at least one square within the specified
range.
Tags are labels on Moves that don’t have an innate effect but are referenced by other effects.
Hit indicates what the Move does on a successful hit.
On Miss isn’t present on Psybeam but is on other Moves and indicates what the Move does on a miss.
Always is also on other Moves and indicate effects that always happen when you use the Move, regardless of hit
or miss.
Effects that take place on Critical or Super-Effective Hits are just that, bonuses that trigger on achieving a Critical
Hit or hitting a Type weakness. Unless otherwise specified, you must still hit to gain these effects.
Boost indicates the additional effects you get when you spend BP to Boost a Move.

Other Useful Terminology

● Ally: Another character that is on your side in a battle. Does not include yourself but may include your
Partner.
● Friendly: This attack does not affect allies, even if they would be included in its area of effect.
● Innate: This attack can do Normal-Type damage or damage of any of the user’s Types. If the user is only
Normal Type, this attack gains the Accurate quality
● Partner: One half of a Battle Pair. A Trainer’s Partner is their Pokemon, and vice versa.
● Tick: Whenever a Tick of HP or damage is referenced, it means 1/10th of a character's max HP.

Move Effects Appendix

● Accurate: This attack gets +1 Boon on Accuracy Roll.
● Inaccurate: This attack gets +1 Bane on Accuracy Roll.
● Limited: This effect or move can affect a given target only once per Scene. This is tracked per user of a
Move or effect; so for example, a Pokemon can be affected by Hypnosis from multiple foes in one Scene
but only one time per foe. Limited never affects damage, only non-damage effects of an attack.
● Drain: After the attack resolves, the user of the attack gains Temporary HP equal to the highest die
rolled in the damage roll. In the case of a Boosted attack or Crit, add together the two highest dice
instead.
● Recoil: If you hit with this attack, you lose a Tick of Hit Points.
● Spike Hazard: A square of Spike Hazard is Slow Terrain, and any character walking over it loses a Tick of
Hit Points. A character can lose a maximum of 3 Ticks of HP in one movement action due to spikes, no
matter how many spikes they run over.
 ● Priority: This attack can be declared out of initiative, after another character’s turn has ended. When
resolving a Priority Move, a character may only take the action needed to use the Move plus a
Movement action. These subtract from the character’s actions and AP from their next turn.
● Pass: Once the Move is declared, the user may Disengage forward only in a straight line, for up to 4
squares, treating foes as Regular Terrain and moving through any enemies in its path. The user must end
in an empty square. The Pass Move attacks all targets in each square it dashes through, but each target
may be hit only once. The user must end their Movement Action at the end of the dash.

Basic Attacks
All Pokemon have access to at least one Basic Attack, which use the following stat blocks and cannot be
Disabled. The Basic Attacks a Pokemon has access to are denoted by Type, range, and damage category. For
example, a Pokemon might have a Physical Normal Type Melee Basic Attack and a Special Fire Type Ranged Basic
Attack, while another Pokemon might have only a Physical Innate Type Melee Basic Attack and no Ranged Basic
Attack.

Move: Melee Basic Attack

Action: 1 AP, At-Will, Strike
Targets: Melee, 1 Target; vs Evasion
Hit: 2D Damage

Move: Ranged Basic Attack

Action: 2 AP, At-Will, Strike
Targets: 4 Squares, 1 Target; vs Evasion
Hit: 2D Damage

HP and Defeat
At 50% HP and below, a character is considered Shaken. This has no effect on its own but may be
referenced by other effects.

When a character hits 0 HP, they are defeated and cannot act. HP cannot go below 0. All additional
damage has no effect. A defeated Trainer may still command Pokemon but cannot use Orders. Other
Talents that are not Abilities, Moves, or other attacks can still be used too, such as most Style Talents.
Defeated Trainers may still Switch Pokemon and designate at the moment of defeat which allied
Trainer becomes the new origin point for releasing Pokemon (treat it as if they tossed their poke balls
over)

Flanking
If you and an ally are on opposite sides of a foe (you can draw a line between the center of your squares that
goes through the interior of the foe’s square and not a corner), and you and your ally have a total size value
equal to or higher than the foe’s size value, that foe is considered Flanked.

All attacks against a Flanked target get +1 Boon to Accuracy rolls, and a Flanked foe takes +1 Bane to all Accuracy
rolls for attacks that do not include one of the characters Flanking them as a target.
Out of Turn Actions
Many Moves and Abilities can be used outside of your turn in combat. These are typically activated in response
to a specified Trigger and come in two flavors:
● Interrupt: This effect occurs before the Triggering action resolves.
● Reaction: This effect occurs after the Triggering action resolves or during its resolution.

When an out of turn action consumes AP, you start your next turn with that many fewer AP.

Punish Attacks
Pokemon with Defensive Roles can make out of turn Interrupt attacks called Punish Attacks in response to the
following triggers:
● An adjacent foe starts a normal Movement (not a Disengage or standing up from Prone)
● An adjacent foe uses a Ranged attack that doesn’t include you as a target

Additionally, some Moves may inflict a Mark on a character. Marking a foe also permits you to use Punish
attacks against that foe, even if you do not have a Defensive Role. Additionally, any effect from a Move which
allows a character to use a Punish Attack works regardless of whether that character has a Defensive Role and
the innate ability to take Punish Attacks.

Characters can either use a Basic Attack for their Punish Attack or a Move which specifies it can be used as a
Punish Attack. Characters can only perform one Punish Attack per Round.

Orders
Orders are a specific type of Free Action Trainers can take. Trainers may use only one Order per round, and
Orders are all Priority Actions.

Status Conditions
Many attacks inflict Status Conditions on a character. These are separated into the categories below - Mental,
Physical, and Elemental. The source of a Status Condition will usually indicate when the effect ends. That can be:
● At the end of the target’s next turn - which is as it says.
● At the end of the round - at the end of the current round.
● After one full round - at the end of the same Initiative tick the Status Condition was inflicted, on the
following round.
● Save ends - at the end of each turn, the character rolls Save Check - a 1d20 roll to which they add any
modifiers they have affecting Save Checks. On a 10+, they succeed, and the effect is removed.
● Persistent - lasts until it’s cured by some means or the battle is over.

Mental Status Conditions

Confused: Confused characters add the Recoil keyword on all attacks they make, and if a Confused character
takes Movement during their turn or uses a Ranged attack, they become Prone at the end of their turn unless
they spend 1 AP.
Enraged: Enraged characters cannot use Maneuvers and Tricks, may only take one action that consumes AP
each turn, take +1 Bane to all Accuracy Rolls, and set their Resolve to 4.

Infatuated: Infatuated characters take a -5 penalty to their Damage Bonus (min 0) while within 4 squares of
their Crush, and also add +1 Bane to Accuracy rolls on attacks that include their Crush.

Marked: Marked characters take +1 Bane to all Accuracy rolls on attacks that do not include the character who
marked them as a target. Whenever a Marked target uses a ranged attack or starts movement, even a
Disengage, while adjacent to the character who marked them, the Marking character may use a Punish Attack
against them.

Sleep: Sleeping characters are Vulnerable and cannot take any actions on their turn, unless those Actions would
cure Sleep or are explicitly allowed to be made while Asleep. Whenever a sleeping user is hit by an attack while
Asleep, they wake up. Allies may spend 1 AP as a Maneuver to shake awake an adjacent sleeping user. When
cured of Sleep, the character is Slowed for 1 round.

Physical Status Conditions

Blinded: This character adds +1 Bane to all Accuracy rolls, can only draw line of sight to adjacent squares, and is
treated as Vulnerable against attacks that originate outside of its line of sight.

Flinched: This character has their Initiative reduced by -2 for the rest of the Scene, then becomes Vulnerable
until the end of the round. Flinched is not a true status in itself and does not stay on the target. It is just a
shorthand for the above effects.

Paralyzed: This character does not gain a Movement Action during their turn but instead can spend 1 AP to gain
one Movement Action. This character also sets its Evasion to 4.

Prone: A prone character is Slowed and takes +1 Bane to Accuracy rolls to use all melee attacks. All ranged
attacks take +1 Bane to Accuracy Rolls against Prone characters, and all melee attacks take +1 Boon against
them. A Prone character can use a Movement Action to right themselves. Unlike other physical afflictions, Prone
is “cured” by being switched.

Slowed: A Slowed character has their Movement halved and cannot Disengage or take the Sprint Maneuver.

Stuck: A Stuck character cannot take a Movement Action to Disengage or Move and sets its Evasion to 4.

Vulnerable: Treat all of the target’s Defense values as 4. Vulnerable is usually a fleeting effect that lasts no
longer than one full round.

Weakened: All damage the target deals is resisted one step further, and it sets its Vigor to 4.
Elemental Status Conditions
Chilled: Chilled targets are Slowed and take +1 Bane to Accuracy Rolls. When a Chilled target uses or is hit by a
Fire-Type attack, remove the Chilled condition. When a Chilled target becomes Soaked, remove the Chilled
condition, and they become Frozen.

Frozen: Frozen targets are Stuck and cannot take actions. All attacks against Frozen targets get +6 to Critical Hit
Range. An adjacent ally may end the Frozen condition on you by spending 2 AP. This cost is reduced to 1 AP for
Pokémon that know a Strike Move that can deal Super-Effective damage against Ice. This counts as a Maneuver.
You also lose Frozen when you are hit by any Strike.

Ongoing Damage X (Type): At the end of their turn, if the target or their Partner spent AP, the target loses X HP.
This ignores Damage Reduction and type effectiveness. The Type is only used for effects that trigger off of having
Ongoing Damage of a Type and for immunity for the following cases:
● Poison and Steel Types are immune to Ongoing Damage (Poison)
● Fire Types are immune to Ongoing Damage (Fire)

Oiled: When an Oiled target is hit by a Fire-Type attack, the user of the attack also targets all squares adjacent to
the Oiled target that were not already targeted by the attack. This ignores the Friendly Quality. Then, remove
the Oiled condition.

Soaked: Soaked targets take +5 damage from Electric-Type attacks and resist Fire-Type attacks one step further.
When a Soaked target is hit by a Fire-Type attack, remove the Soaked condition. When a Soaked target is Chilled,
remove the Soaked condition, and they become Frozen.

Other Combat Actions

All characters can use the following Tricks and Maneuvers during battle:
● Grapple (Trick, 1 AP): You can Grapple as 1 AP Trick. Roll Accuracy against an adjacent target’s Vigor as
a melee attack. On a hit you are now Grappling the target.
○ If there is a size difference between you and the target, the smaller combatant cannot Move
until the Grapple is ended.
○ The larger character can drag the smaller along when moving.
○ If both are the same size, they can both drag each other on their turns but move as if Slowed.
○ The initiator of the Grapple can end it during their turn as a Free Action. The defender can
attempt to break free of the Grapple on their turn as a 1 AP Maneuver at the start of their turn
before any other actions by rolling Accuracy with +1 Bane against the initiator’s Vigor. On a hit,
the Grapple is ended. On a miss, they remain Grappled and suffer +1 Bane to all Accuracy Rolls
until the end of their turn.
● Push (Trick, 1 AP): Make a melee attack vs Vigor against a foe in Reach. On a hit, Push the foe up to 1
square, plus up to 1 more for each size category you are larger than them.
● Hide (Maneuver, 2 AP): You can Hide to gain the Hidden condition if no foes have unobstructed line of
sight to you (line of sight that doesn’t pass through Rough Terrain or Cover). Adjacent foes always count
as having unobstructed line of sight. While Hidden, foes do not know your exact location and cannot
 target you. They may still use Area attacks to attempt to hit you by guessing your location. You lose the
Hidden condition if:
○ You use a Trick or Strike, or take another obvious action, after resolving all other effects
○ A foe gains unobstructed line of sight to you
○ A foe successfully Searches for you
● Search (Maneuver, 1 AP): Roll Accuracy against the Evasion of all Hidden foes within 5 squares that you
have line of sight to (obstructed or not). Apply additional penalties from Rough Terrain and Cover. On a
hit, that foe is no longer Hidden.
● Sprint (Maneuver, 2 AP): Take an additional Movement Action.
● Interact (Maneuver, 1 AP): A catch-all Maneuver for manipulating the environment and doing
something that isn't explicitly covered by another rule.

Trainers can take the following special Maneuvers during battle:

● Switch (1 AP): Recall their currently active Pokémon and release a different Pokémon onto the field.
● Reposition (2 AP): Recall their currently active Pokémon and release the same Pokémon in a different
position on the field.

The recall range of a Poke Ball extends across the entire battlefield, as long as the Trainer has line of sight. A
Trainer can throw a Poke Ball anywhere within 8 squares.

<sidebar>If you Switch to a Pokémon with higher or equal Initiative to your current Pokémon, then you continue
taking the rest of your turn as normal. If you Switch to a Pokémon with lower Initiative, however, the rest of
your turn is delayed until your new Initiative value. If your Initiative was changed, such as by holding your turn,
and you Switch your Pokémon out then later Switch them back in, you use your original Initiative value before
that change.</sidebar>
Building Trainers
tbd
Building Pokemon
Putting together a Pokemon in PMJ is mostly about making choices within two templates - one of which is the
species’s inherent stat block, and the second being the chosen combat Role the Pokemon has.

But first, a quick aside on notation. You will often see bonuses written in a format like “+3/4/5 Damage” or
“+3/4/5 Armor”. This denotes the values granted at various Tiers of play - first the Tier 1 value, then the Tier 2,
then the Tier 3. For the purposes of all currently released playtest material for Pokemon Journeys, you’re only
concerned about Tier 1, so anytime you see that, you only need to use the first value for now.

A species’s stat block determines the following:

Movement Speed and Movement Tags - these determine how quickly it can move, what types of rough terrain
it can ignore for movement purposes, and whether it can move in special ways such as flying. A full list of
Movement Tags is listed in the Appendix.

Traits - these are usually static stat buffs but are also sometimes other simple combat abilities.

Defense priority - this is the order in which the Defense values granted by a Role are arranged. For example, if a
Pokemon has a Defense priority of Evasion > Resolve > Vigor, and it is given Defense values of 8, 6, and 4 from its
Role, then it has 8 Evasion, 6 Resolve, and 4 Vigor.

Initiative.

Choice of Roles. Each Pokemon has 3 combat Roles it can embody, sorted into Offensive, Defensive, and
Supportive categories. You choose one Role when creating a Pokemon. More details on Roles below.

Choice of Abilities. Pokemon start with one of their Basic Abilities and gain an additional Ability, which may be a
Basic or Advanced Ability, when they hit Tier 3.

Choice of Moves. Pokemon start with 3 starting Moves learned plus the choice of 1 Move from their Tier 1
Natural Move List. As Pokemon Level up, they can gain more Moves and can know a maximum of 4 Moves
(replacing old Moves on their Move list as they learn more). More detail in the character progression section.

Basic Attacks. Pokemon have at least 1 Basic Attack, whose traits are determined by their species - including
type, range, and damage category.

Skills. Pokemon have 3 points to distribute among their Skills, and must put at least 2 points into Preferred Skills,
as denoted by their species’s stat block, to start. Pokemon gain more Skill Points as they Level up. A species’s
stat block may also denote Deficient Skills, which begin at -1 and cannot be raised at initial Pokemon creation. A
Pokemon cannot have a Skill higher than +2 until it reaches Tier 2.

Capabilities. These are other miscellaneous abilities and traits Pokemon have, usually with only non-combat
applications.
A Pokemon’s chosen Role determines the following:
Health Points. A Role will designate that a Pokemon either has Low, Medium, or High HP. These correspond to
the following values:

High: 45 HP to start, +5 HP every even level

Medium: 40 HP to start, +4 HP every even level
Low: 35 HP to start, +3 HP every even level

Defense Values. A Role gives a Pokemon an array of 3 values which are then assigned to specific Defenses
through their species’s Defense Priority.

Role Abilities. All Roles have special abilities that let a Pokemon embody a niche in battle, such as intercepting
attacks for allies, having stronger ranged attacks when rooted in place, or being better at debuffing enemies.

Adjusted Initiative. A Pokemon’s Role can often affect their Initiative, raising or lowering it by a couple points.

So to sum up, creating a level 1 Pokemon takes the following steps. You can do some of these steps in another
order, but we think this will make the most sense for most players.
1. Choose a Pokemon species.
2. Choose one of the species’s Roles.
3. Write down the level 1 HP for the Role’s given HP tier - low, medium, or high.
4. Write down the Pokemon’s Defenses by ordering the values given by its Role in the order of the
species’s Defense Priority
5. Write down the Pokemon’s Initiative by starting with the species’s Initiative value and applying the
adjustment from its Role
6. Write down the Pokemon’s Traits
7. Write down the Pokemon’s Role Abilities, including making any choices from Armored
8. Pick a Basic Ability for the Pokemon
9. Write down the Pokemon’s Basic Attacks
10. Write down the 3 Starting Moves for the Pokemon, then choose one Tier 1 Natural Move from its level
up list
11. Write down the Pokemon’s Movement Speed, Movement Tags, and Capabilities
12. Distribute 3 Skill Points among a Pokemon’s Skills, with at least 2 Points in Preferred Skills and a max of
+2 in a single Skill.
Roles

Offensive Roles
All Offensive Roles have the following Role Abilities:
Striker: You increase your Damage Bonus by +3/4/5.

Brawler
HP: Standard
Damage Die Size: d10
Defenses: 8,6,4
Initiative Mod: +0

Abilities
Melee Dominance: When you begin a turn adjacent to a foe that has no adjacent allies, you gain +1 Boon to the
first Melee attack you make against that foe this turn.
Create Opening: When you and an ally are adjacent to a foe, you both count as Flanking the foe for the
purposes of Melee attacks regardless of your position or size.

Lurker
HP: Low (35, +3/level)
Damage Die Size: d10
Defenses: 6,5,4
Initiative Mod: -1

Role Abilities
Combat Stealth: If you use no ranged attacks during your turn, you can Hide for 1 AP instead of 2.
Sneak Attack: The first time each Round you hit with a damaging Attack while you are Hidden, add +1D damage
if it is a Ranged Attack or +2D damage if it is a Melee Attack.

Skirmisher
HP: Medium (40, +4/level)
Damage Die Size: d10
Defenses: 8,6,4
Initiative Mod: +2

Role Abilities
Outmaneuver: Before or after using a Melee attack, you may Disengage 3 as a Free Action.

Juggernaut
HP: High (45, +5/level)
Damage Die Size: d10
Defenses: 6,5,4
Initiative Mod: +1

Abilities
Battering Ram: Spend 2 AP. You take another Movement Action to move in a straight line at least 3 squares and
up to your Movement speed and then make a Melee attack. (If your Movement is lowered to less than 3 due to
being Slowed or other effects, you cannot use Battering Ram) On a hit, you may push each target up to 2
squares.

Sniper
HP: Low (35, +3/level)
Damage Die Size: d8
Defenses: 6,5,4
Initiative Mod: -2

Role Abilities
Take Aim: You can give up your Movement Action on your turn to choose a foe in Line of Sight and at least 3
squares away. Add +1 Boon to Accuracy and +2 Critical Hit range to a Ranged Attack targeting the chosen foe.
The next round, if you use Take Aim on the same foe, add +2 Boons and +4 Critical Hit range instead. On the
third consecutive round and every round thereafter you use Take Aim on the same foe, add +3 Boons and +6
Critical Hit range. If you spend a round without using Take Aim on that same foe, your bonuses reset.
Long Range: You get +2 Range on all single target ranged attacks.

Artillery
HP: Medium (40, +4/level)
Damage Die Size: d8
Defenses: 6,5,4
Initiative Mod: -1

Abilities
Scattering Barrage: When you hit with a Ranged Area attack, you may push each hit target 1 square away from
you or away from the center of the area of effect.
Forecasted Blast: At the end of your turn, if you have not moved from your original position, use a Ranged Area
attack as a Free Action. This attack does not resolve immediately; instead, mark the area the attack will hit and
the attack resolves in one full round. This attack deals damage as if resisted one step further.

Ranger
HP: Medium (40, +4/level)
Damage Die Size: d8
Defenses: 8,6,4
Initiative Mod: +0

Abilities
Run and Gun: You may split up your Movement to stop and take any number of Ranged attack actions before
resuming the remainder of your movement.
Suppressive Fire: When you miss all targets with a Ranged attack, choose one target. They take +1 Bane to the
next Accuracy roll they make against you before the end of their next turn.

Desperado
HP: Medium (40, +4/level)
Damage Die Size: d8
Defenses: 8,6,4
Initiative Mod: +1

Abilities
Point Blank Shot: You do not take penalties to your Accuracy rolls for Ranged attacks as a result of adjacency.
When you make a Ranged attack against a target within 3 squares, do not apply penalties from Cover or Rough
Terrain.
Exit Strategy: When you hit an adjacent foe with a Ranged attack, you may Disengage 1.

Switch Hitter
HP: Medium (40, +4/level)
Damage Die Size: d10
Defenses: 8,6,4
Initiative Mod: +1

Abilities
Rhythm of Battle: The first time you use a Strike Move each Scene, gain +1 Boon to your Accuracy Roll. When
you use a Ranged or Line Strike Move, if the last Strike Move you used was Melee, Burst, or Close, gain +1 Boon
to your Accuracy Roll. When you use a Melee, Burst, or Close Strike Move, if the last Strike Move you used was
Ranged or Line, gain +1 Boon to your Accuracy Roll.

Defensive Roles
All Defensive Roles have the following Role Abilities:
Opportunist: You can make Punish Attacks.
Armored: If you have the Physical Armor or Special Armor traits, choose one of them and double the value of
the damage reduction you gain from that trait. If you do not have Physical Armor or Special Armor, gain your
choice of one of the traits.

Guardian
HP: High (45, +5/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 9,7,6
Initiative Mod: +0

Role Abilities
Intercept: Once a Round, when an Ally within 3 squares is targeted by a foe's attack that does not also target
you, you and the Ally may both Disengage 3, swapping places, and you become the target of the triggering
attack. (You must have enough Movement Speed to perform this action to use Intercept) At the beginning of
your next turn, choose: you become Slowed until the start of your next turn, or you only have 1 AP to spend
during this turn.

Duelist
HP: High (45, +5/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 8,6,4
Initiative Mod: +2

Role Abilities
Duelist's Mark: Once a Round, when you attack a foe within your Reach you may Mark them.

(Mark is something that some Moves will just inflict, so this is not a Duelist-exclusive mechanic. Marked enemies
have +1 Bane to all attacks that do not include you as a target, and you may initiate Punish Attacks against any
Marked enemy that attacks a target that isn't you or takes Movement while within your Reach, even if it was a
Disengage.)

Escort
HP: High (45, +5/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 9,7,6
Initiative Mod: +1

Role Abilities:
Guide: When you begin Movement adjacent to an ally or you Move into a square adjacent to an ally, that ally
may choose to be slid along with you, ending its movement in any square adjacent to you.
Tactical Retreat: If you begin your turn adjacent to an ally who is adjacent to a foe, you may Disengage 3 but
only if your ally chooses to activate Guide.

Bulwark
HP: High (45, +5/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 9,7,6
Initiative Mod: -1

Abilities
Rampart Aura: When a foe moves from a non-adjacent square to you into an adjacent square, it must
immediately end its movement. If a foe begins their turn while adjacent to you, it becomes Slowed for the rest
of the Round.
Great Wall: Allies may treat you as Cover.

Grappler
HP: High (45, +5/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 9,7,6
Initiative Mod: +0

Abilities
Pro Wrestler: You always count as at least your target's Size for the purposes of Grappling but cannot be
dragged. While you're in a Grapple with a foe, they take +1 Bane to Accuracy for all ranged attacks and an
additional +1 Bane to attacks that do not target you.
Grappling Opportunist: You may Grapple as a Punish Attack.

Sentinel
HP: Medium (40, +4/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 8,6,4
Initiative Mod: +1

Abilities
Overwatch: Spend 1 AP and designate up to two allies. For one full round, if they are attacked by a foe, you may
make an attack against that foe as an Interrupt. This counts as a Punish Attack. When Overwatch ends, if you
have not moved from your original square when you used Overwatch, you can repeat it on the same allies as a
free action.
Ranged Defender: Increase the range of your ranged attacks by +2 when you use them as part of Overwatch.

Suppressor
HP: Medium (40, +4/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 8,6,4
Initiative Mod: +1

Abilities:
Lockdown: Spend 1 AP and designate two squares. Draw a Burst 1 around each. For one full round, when a foe
outside the zone moves inside or a foe inside the zone moves outside, you may make an attack against them as
an Interrupt. This counts as a Punish Attack. When Lockdown ends, if you have not moved from your original
square when you used Lockdown, you can repeat it on the same squares as a free action.
Ranged Defender: Increase the range of your ranged attacks by +2 when you use them as part of Lockdown.
Supportive Roles
All Supportive Roles have the following Role Ability:
Bag of Tricks: As long as you know two or fewer Strike Moves, you have an additional Move slot.

All Pokemon with Supportive Roles can be taught the following Moves during Downtime.

Move: Helping Hand Type: Normal

Action: 1 AP, At-Will, Maneuver, Priority Targets: Melee, 1 Target; Auto-hits
Hit: Your target's next damaging attack that hits before the end of your next turn deals +X more dice of damage. X is your
Tier. This does not stack with itself or other instances of Helping Hand.
Always: You may take a Move Action as if Slowed as a Free Action before using Helping Hand.

Move: Distract Type: Normal

Action: 1 AP, At-Will, Trick Target: 6, 1 Target; vs Resolve; Social; Limited
Hit: The target takes +1 Bane to all rolls until the end of your next turn or until they successfully hit you with an attack,
whichever comes first.

Mastermind
HP: Medium (40, +4/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 8,6,4
Initiative Mod: +2

Role Abilities
Plots and Ploys: If you and your Partner have not spent AP to use Strike actions this round, then you may gain +1
AP as a free action during your turn, and you and your Partner may not spend AP to use Strike actions for the
rest of the round.

Breaker
HP: Low (35, +3/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 8,6,4
Initiative Mod: +0

Abilities
Sabotage: Once per round, you may activate Sabotage as a Free Action when you hit a foe with a Trick. That foe
takes +Xd6 damage from the next attack it takes from one of your allies for one full round, where X is your Tier.

Healer
HP: Medium (40, +4/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 10,6,4
Initiative Mod: +0

Abilities
Healer's Touch: Once a Scene, when you use a Maneuver that targets allies or creates a Zone, choose one ally
that was targeted or is in the created Zone. That ally gains Temporary Hit Points equal to their Recovery Value.
This stacks with any Temporary Hit Points granted by the triggering Maneuver or Zone.
Soothing Aura: Adjacent allies gain a Boon on all Save Checks.

Tactician
HP: Medium (40, +4/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 10,6,4
Initiative Mod: +2

Abilities
Battle Formation: Once per Round, when you use a Maneuver, choose an ally within 5 squares. That ally may
gain +1 Boon on the next Accuracy roll they take before the end of their next turn, or they may Disengage 2 and
gain +1 to all Defenses for one full round.

Trickster
HP: Low (35, +3/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 10,6,4
Initiative Mod: +1

Abilities
The Turn: At the end of your turn in which you used a Trick, you can Hide as a Free Action (you must still meet all
requirements to Hide).
The Prestige: When you use a Trick while Hidden, you roll with Advantage.

Field Master
HP: Medium (40, +4/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 10,6,4
Initiative Mod: -1

Abilities
Zone Manipulation: At the start of your turn, you may do one of the following:
● Move a Zone you created or up to 5 squares of Hazards you set up to 4 squares (Hazards cannot be
moved into occupied squares)
● Choose one Zone you created. Squares adjacent to you have the effects of that Zone until the start of
your next turn.
Controller
HP: Low (35, +3/level)
Damage Die Size: d6
Defenses: 8,6,4
Initiative Mod: +2

Abilities
Sustained Suffering: Whenever you hit a foe with a Trick, they take a Bane to all Save Checks until the end of
their next turn. Whenever you Critically Hit a foe with a Trick, the next time they roll a successful Save Check,
they instead fail it.
Disrupt: Once per Round, when you target a foe with a Trick, that foe chooses: Either you may slide them 2
squares, or they become Slowed until the end of their next turn.
Progression
When the party reaches a milestone such as completing a significant adventure, all Trainers and Pokemon in the
party level up. The entire party, Trainers and Pokemon included, should be at the same level at all times.

On even levels, do the following:

● All Trainers and Pokemon gain HP. Pokemon, as well as Trainers with Combat Classes, gain HP based on
their Role. Trainers without a Combat Class gain +3 HP.
● All Pokemon may learn a move from their natural move list for their current tier.

More to come~
Items and Inventory
Inventory
Trainers can carry two types of items:
● Supply Items are consumables that are purchased with Supply Points at the start of an adventure and
are lost if unused at the end of an adventure. They do not take up Inventory slots.
● Possessions are non-consumable items that persist from adventure to adventure. Possessions take up
Inventory slots. Unused Possessions are assumed to be kept with someone or stored away for
safekeeping and are accessible to Trainers during Downtime.

Everyday items and survival necessities like a cellphone, bottled water, matches, a flashlight, rations, simple
cooking gear, a sleeping bag, an extra change of clothes, etc are presumed to always be carried by a Trainer and
do not take up Inventory slots either. Items with no significant narrative benefit nor a mechanical effect also fall
in this category - musical instruments, a favorite Pokemon plushie, a tea set. In general, Possessions are
differentiated by such items by having a distinct mechanical effect, such as weapons, or by having significant
narrative benefit, such as darkvision goggles or a drone.

Trainers have four Inventory slots to store items - one on their person, representing items in pockets or attached
to a belt that are easily and quickly accessible, even in combat, and three that represent items kept in a
backpack that must be opened and searched to find, making them harder to retrieve in combat. Typically, this
will be a 2 AP Interact Maneuver to do so.

Possessions that are clothing worn on a person do not take up Inventory slots. A coat for cold weather wouldn’t
count against your allotment if you are wearing it, but if you’re carrying one around just in case in your bag, then
it counts.

Each Inventory slot can store one large item or two small items. The size categorization of an item is a rough
thing, but here are some examples:
● Large: a weapon, a grappling hook, a cap cannon, a spare winter coat, a foldable bike
● Small: darkvision goggles, a drone, a lockpick set, specialized climbing gear, foraging equipment

Naturally, you can put extra bags on your sufficiently sized Pokemon to hold more Possessions (3 Inventory slots
per bag), but such bags cannot be recalled into a Pokeball with the Pokemon. Trainers can carry one extra bag
for a short time if need be but are Slowed when doing so if they enter combat and roll with Disadvantage on any
checks related to traversal.
Running an Adventure
Supply
During each Downtime Phase before a new adventure, Trainers gain a fresh set of Travel Basics, refresh their
stock of Pokeballs to 5, and restock up to their Supplies from their Calling if applicable.

Travel Basics include the following: Phone, Backpack, Sleeping Bag and Shelter, Towel, Weather-Appropriate
Clothing, Flashlight, Lighter, Compass, Water + Filter, Rations.

Pokeball: Allows the capture of a defeated Pokemon outside of combat.

Additionally, GMs decide on the length of the adventure coming up and give the players a number of Potions;
Supply Points, or SP, to spend on Supply Items for the adventure; and a number of Camp Supplies they share as
a party. Supply Points are used to purchase any of the Travel Items below. One unit of Camp Supplies must be
expended when camping in order for the party to gain the recovery benefits of camping.

The allocation of Potions, Supply Points, and Camp Supplies are both a transparency mechanic to let the players
know how long the upcoming journey is supposed to be for them and an attrition mechanic to challenge them
and prevent them from coasting through an adventure by simply resting to recover after every single battle, or
using an overwhelming hoard of healing items to brute force through encounters. Here are some
recommendations for how many Supply Points and Camp Supplies to hand out.

Short Adventure: 1-2 sessions long. Up to 3 normal battles or 1 normal battle and 1 boss battle.
● 2 Potions per player
● 2 Supply Points per player
● 1 Camp Supply for the party

Medium Adventure: 3-4 sessions long. 3 normal battles and 1 boss encounter or 1 normal battle and 2 boss
battles.
● 4 Potions
● 3 Supply Points
● 2 Camp Supplies

Long Adventure: 5+ sessions long. 5 normal battles and 1 boss encounter or 3 normal battles and 2 boss battles.
● 6 Potions
● 4 Supply Points
● 3 Camp Supplies

Camp Phase
When the party sets up camp and use Camp Supplies, they rest and all Trainers and Pokemon recover HP (see
below) and regain the use of all Daily frequency effects and Boost Points. If the party has no Camp Supplies to
use, they may still set up Camp and take Camp Actions, though certain actions may only be used when Camp
Supplies are spent.

HP Recovery
First, every Trainer and Pokemon has a Recovery Value. This is equal to a quarter of their maximum HP. When a
party rests at camp and has spent Camp Supplies, they recover as follows:
● All characters whose current HP is lower than their Recovery Value has their HP set to 50% of their
maximum.
● All characters whose current HP is equal to or higher than their Recovery Value recovers HP equal to
their Recovery Value.

Each Trainer can take one Camp Action when the party sets up camp in preparation to rest. While some Callings
provide unique Camp Actions, all characters have access to the following Camp Actions, some of which require
specific Supply items to use.
● Recon: Requires either a Pokemon with Naturewalk for the current environment, a piece of
environment-specific gear (ex: snow shoes, darkvision goggles, etc), or advanced exploration gear (ex:
powerful binoculars). The character gains 1 Recon Point which may be spent by anyone in the party as if
it were Effort during the next day on rolls related to navigation, searching, pursuing, or escaping in the
current environment. This point is lost if unspent at the end of the next day.
● Cooking: Consumes 1 Gourmet Ingredient. During the next day, all Trainers and Pokemon in the party
gain the benefit of the consumed Gourmet Ingredient. No more than one character may take the
Cooking Camp Action during one Camp Phase.
● Treatment: Consumes 1 Medical Kit: Choose one Trainer or Pokemon - they recover additional HP equal
to their Recovery Value. A given character can only be targeted by Treatment once per Camp Phase.
● Forage: Requires either a Pokemon with Naturewalk for the current environment, or gathering gear (ex:
a shovel, a pickaxe, etc). The character broadly describes what sort of item they’re looking for (ex:
something that can be eaten, something that can be used as a weapon, etc), and the GM chooses a
Supply Item along those lines for them to find.

Note: GMs are encouraged to be creative with the forms items can take when a player uses Forage. A wild herb
can be a Potion or a Gourmet Ingredient. A mushroom can be a Pester Ball if it explodes with spores upon
impact when thrown. An electrically charged stone in a cave can be a battery for a drone. Etc.

A GM may decide that campsites set up in particularly hostile territory or in a region that’s just plain hazardous
is a dangerous campsite. In that case, they can call for a Camp Danger Roll. This is a 2d6 roll with the following
modifiers:
● +1 if the party has at least half the party size in Pokemon with an applicable Naturewalk for the current
environment
● -1 if the party as no Pokemon with an applicable Naturewalk for the current environment
● +1 for each party member who forgoes their normal Camp Action to instead patrol the campsite at night
● Up to a -3 situational penalty depending on how precarious the GM deems the situation to be
Downtime
At the end of an Adventure, the party will usually arrive at a town or city and get an opportunity to rest and
restock. The Downtime Phase formalizes this, giving players a chance to fully heal, level up their Trainers and
Pokemon, restore their Inventory of Travel Items, and gain perks such as Move Tutoring.

When a Downtime Phase is initiated at the end of an Adventure, do all of the following:
● All Pokemon and Trainers are restored to their Maximum HP.
● If the GM feels the party has reached a milestone, then all characters gain +1 Level.
● All players’ Pokemon at a Level below their Trainer Level are set to their Trainer Level.
● All players may take up to three Downtime Actions.
● All players reset their Supply Item inventory, using their Supply Points to purchase a new set of
consumables for their next Adventure.

Downtime Actions and Favor

Downtime Actions are extended endeavors that characters can engage in to organize help from allies, conduct
investigations, and prepare for their next adventure during a time of rest. Downtime Actions cost Favor, an
abstraction of cash, valuable assets, favors owed, and connections that can be leveraged.

By default, characters can conduct up to three Downtime Actions during a single Downtime Phase as long as
they have the Favor to pay for them, but the GM can adjust this number based on how long the Downtime
Phase lasts in the game world.

Favor can also be used during the normal adventuring phase to perform actions with narrative effect like bribing
a bouncer, buying an expensive bottle of wine as a gift, or purchasing a service like a private chartered flight.

Performing a Downtime Action usually requires a Skill Check, though requesting help through a Calling Talent
often bypasses the need for that. You may pay twice the cost of a Downtime Action to gain Advantage on the
roll.

On a 6-, the character either fails to get what they want or they are put into immediate trouble as a result of
their Downtime Action (play out a small Scene or begin the next Adventure with this scenario).

On a 7-9, the character gets what they want but need to pay more Favor to avoid complications, causes
suspicion, attracts trouble, or does something else that has no immediate effect but will have costs or an
unintended consequence further down the line.

On a 10+, the character gets what they want with no complications.

Encounters
Enemy Templates
Enemies come in different template forms.

Standard: The enemy is statted up as a normal Pokemon, the same way a player would stat their
Pokemon.

Minion: The enemy is weaker than usual. Minions do not have HP. Instead, they have two Health
Boxes, denoted as “Minion [ ] [ ]”. Getting hit by any damaging attack or being caused to lose HP fills
one Health Box if it’s neutral or resisted damage and two if it’s super-effective or a critical hit. A Minion
is defeated when both Health Boxes are filled, which means they normally take two hits but can be
taken out in one by a super-effective or critical hit. They may also have fewer Moves than normal.

Boss: Boss Pokemon have multiple HP bars and act multiple times a round, usually equal to their
maximum number of HP bars. These are denoted like this, for example: “HP 40 Boss [ ] [ ] [ ]” for a
Boss with 3 HP bars. A Boss is defeated when all of their HP bars have been depleted. The example
above is a Boss with effectively 120 HP.

Bosses do not become Shaken at 50% HP in a given HP bar. Instead, they have a Break Threshold,
which is the number of HP bars they have left when they become Shaken. When a boss hits this
threshold, they often get other effects. At a baseline, they are typically cured of status effects and
debuff and may gain buffs or even more extra actions.

Additionally, Bosses only take Ongoing Damage once a round rather than every single turn they act.