Building a Character - Professions

Today I'm going to give you some detailed information on the class system I've been working on.

I liked the idea that, in the world of Pokemon, there are other professions that interact with these creatures in ways other than simply training and battling. There's the Nurse Joys, Safari Wardens, Professors, Breeders and a host of others, going about their own journeys and adventures that don't involve Gym battles.

I wanted to try and include a handful of these in the game, to add some variation to the role playing and give players other options that didn't involve the standard fare. It's been done before, notably in Pokemon Tabletop Adventures, though their system is extremely in-depth with dozens and dozens of subclasses and abilities linked to each one.

I wanted something much simpler and more streamlined. Each profession has it's own benefits, though it's not necessary to have a mix in your group to succeed like most traditional RPG's. If all the players want to be Trainers, then I wanted to make sure that was totally okay as well.

You'll also notice that each of the six professions give a bonus to one of the player's traits, as discussed in our previous post, to show the nature of that profession. 

Keep in mind that these are still in development subject to play-testing, and some of the benefits probably won't make a lot of sense without knowing how the various game mechanics work, but here's where we're at right now:

Trainer
You want to be the very best, like no one ever was. You are focused on catching, training and battling Pokemon and their trainers, with the goal of one day participating in the Pokemon League.

• +10% exp from battles.
• +2 to Capture rolls.
• May reroll the Initiative dice at the start of a battle. Once per day.
• +1 Physical trait .

Ranger
A natural in the outdoors, you strive to study the mannerisms and habitats of Pokemon in the wild, and are focused on their natural well-being. Your goal is to become an expert in the natures and behaviour of wild Pokemon, and knowing where to find them.

• Berry Search: Roll 1d6, on a roll of 6 you find a Berry. Once per day.
• Identify the remaining HP of a wild Pokemon. Once per day.
• Can reroll a different wild pokemon encounter. Once per day.
• +1 Physical trait.
  
  

Breeder

Raising Pokemon is your passion, ensuring the highest pedigree and quality of care to produce the happiest and healthiest Pokemon around. You seek to become an expert on the care and nurturing of tame Pokemon, from their infancy right up to their fully evolved state. 

• May switch the base stats of a pokemon on capture.
• Captured pokemon evolve 1 lvl earlier.
• +1 Loyalty of captured pokemon.
• +1 Social trait.

Groomer
Beauty and happiness are what you're all about when it comes to raising Pokemon, and it shows. Your Pokemon always look their best, and you make it your mission to ensure that they are well cared for, striving to ensure the bond between you is always strong.

• Add +1 to a captured pokemon's base stat of your choice. Also when evolving.
• May reroll the Loyalty roll of captured pokemon.
• Roll 1d6 while resting; on a roll of 6, increase the loyalty level of a captured pokemon. Once per day.
• +1 Social trait.

Researcher
You've dedicated your life to the study of all things Pokemon; whether it be the mystery of evolution, their bond with humans; looking to discover new species or delving into the fossils of the past. Your goal is to one day become a well-regarded expert thanks to your ongoing pursuit for Pokemon knowledge.

• Identify what a pokemon is without a pokedex.
• Identify the level of a wild pokemon. Once per day.
• Can identify the highest stat of a wild pokemon. Once per day.
• +1 Knowledge trait.

Medic
With intense medical study, your focus and passion is on Pokemon biology. You seek to find the best cures, the best methods and achieve the best outcomes in caring for sick and injured Pokemon, in order to see them returned to health and fighting fit.

• Potions heal for an extra 1d6.
• Heal a pokemon outside of battle for 20HP. Once per day.
• Remove a status effect on a pokemon outside of battle. Once per day.
• +1 Knowledge stat

So with the class system done, that's about all there is to making a character in Pokemon Journeys. Character creation would go something like this:

- Name your character, and give details like gender, age etc.

- Spend 9 or 10 points in the player's choice of the 3 traits.

- Choose a Profession.

I'm still developing a system for "leveling up" your character over the course of their journey. Rather than gaining experience (that's for your Pokemon), I'm tinkering with the idea of gaining an extra trait point to spend whenever you strike a milestone (earning a Gym Badge, winning a Contest etc.). We'll see what I come up with. 

Now that the player has made a character, the next step is seeing how the game actually works! I'll give a run down of this in my next post.

Until then!

- Jamie