Wild Pokemon Encounters
In Pokemon Journeys, wild Pokemon will primarily be encountered through the Travel Deck while the group is making their way between towns. The GM can of course feel free to add wild Pokemon to other parts of the game, such as Story Points, but for the most part, the player's Pokemon are going to come from the deck.
Our first big hurdle was that randomly generating a Pokemon on the spot is going to be tough and time-consuming, given that you have to generate it, find its stats, boost its stats to match the level you want it to be, and assign it some level-appropriate attacks, all on the fly while your players are just sitting and waiting. So instead, we came up with "The List".
The List (I'm sure it'll get a different name), is a group of 30 or so Pokemon that the GM randomly generates before the campaign begins; 10 common, 10 uncommon and 10 rare (or whatever mix you like). Each group should contain a good mix of types and habitats, and outline each of the Pokemon's base stats and a few attacks. This list will then become the group's wild Pokemon encounters.
When a player draws a wild Pokemon encounter, the GM chooses a Pokemon from the appropriate list, based on the area the group is currently in. Alternatively, you could also have the player roll a dice to randomly select a Pokemon from the list, or any other system you want to implement.
Once a Pokemon has appeared and is captured, you strike it off the list. After the game session, the GM can then repopulate the list, either by filling the gaps, or by generating an entirely new list - whatever they like.
By having this list and doing all the numbers work between sessions, it means the game can keep moving and not get bogged down while the GM tries to quickly stat up a wild encounter. The list system can also be used for Trainer battles - even using the same list if the GM wishes.
For random generations, I like to use http://randompokemon.com/, as it also generates random natures as well, which is handy.
Here's a basic example for some level 1-3 encounters:
COMMON
Pokemon
|
HP
|
Atk
|
Def
|
SpAtk
|
SpDef
|
Spd
|
Nature
|
Moves
|
| Natu |
12
|
5
|
5
|
7
|
5
|
7
|
Brave
|
Leer, Peck |
| Tentacool |
12
|
4
|
4
|
5
|
10
|
7
|
Relaxed
|
Poison Sting, Supersonic |
| Bellsprout |
15
|
8
|
4
|
7
|
3
|
4
|
Quirky
|
Vine Whip |
| Seel |
21
|
5
|
6
|
5
|
7
|
5
|
Docile
|
Headbutt, Growl |
UNCOMMON
Pokemon
|
HP
|
Atk
|
Def
|
SpAtk
|
SpDef
|
Spd
|
Nature
|
Moves
|
| Kakuna |
15
|
3
|
5
|
3
|
3
|
4
|
Hardy
|
Harden, Poison Sting |
| Onix |
12
|
5
|
16
|
3
|
5
|
7
|
Lonely
|
Bind, Tackle, Harden |
RARE
Pokemon
|
HP
|
Atk
|
Def
|
SpAtk
|
SpDef
|
Spd
|
Nature
|
Moves
|
| Kangaskhan |
33
|
10
|
8
|
4
|
8
|
9
|
Adamant
|
Comet Punch, Leer |
| Tepig |
21
|
6
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
Careful
|
Tackle, Tail Whip |
And there's my list for the next couple of sessions, all done and ready to go. When the wild Pokemon card gets drawn, I'll already be prepared for trouble ;-)
Capturing
Much of the capturing system has been lifted from Pokemon Tabletop Adventures. During the battle, the player will likely want to capture the wild Pokemon. To do this, their going to need a Pokeball, which they can buy in-game or find with the Find Item card.
Each Pokemon in the game has a Capture Rate, which determines how hard or easy the Pokemon is to catch. In order to successfully capture the Pokemon, the player must roll a d100 (2d10) and score under the capture rate.
There are modifiers to this capture rate, however. As we all know, Pokemon are easier to capture when they are weakened, and the same is true in Pokemon Journeys. As the GM, you do not have to tell your players how much HP the wild Pokemon has remaining (unless the player has a skill that lets them gain this information), but you should let them know when the Pokemon is Injured (at half HP or below, similar to the 'Bloodied' mechanic in D&D) or Wounded (25% HP or below).
Capture rates adjust according to the current health of the wild Pokemon:
- Uninjured grants a -15 penalty
- Injured uses the base Capture Rate
- Wounded grants a +15 bonus
Like the game, Pokemon that are knocked unconscious are unable to be captured (you could say in-game that at 0hp, the wild Pokemon flee, so players don't simply pick up the unconscious body and take it off to a Pokemon Center). Captured Pokemon also grant full experience points as normal, just like the recent X & Y games.
Loyalty
Loyalty is a role play mechanic that the GM uses to affect the behaviour of captured Pokemon in battle. In a role play sense, loyal and loving Pokemon are likely to do their best for their trainer, whereas disloyal Pokemon probably aren't going to do what they're told. Just because you captured it, doesn't mean it's going to obey you right away without some care and training.
Upon capturing a new Pokemon, the player rolls a d6 to determine its loyalty and the effect it has. For new captures, count a roll of 4-6 as 3:
1 = Resentful: The Pokemon resents you for capturing it. In battle, roll 1d6 before each move. On a 5 or 6, the move succeeds. 1-4, the Pokemon ignores you.
2 = Disloyal: The Pokemon is wary of you, and does not respect you as a trainer. In battle, roll 1d6 before each move. On a 3-6, the move succeeds. 1 or 2, the Pokemon ignores you.
3 = Neutral: The Pokemon has accepted you as its trainer and will obey you in battle.
4 = Friendly: The Pokemon considers you a friend, and will obey you in battle.
5 = Loyal: The Pokemon respects you completely, will obey any command, and cares about your well-being.
6 = Happy: The Pokemon loves you unconditionally. It may evolve to please or protect it's trainer.
Though player's will keep a track of a Pokemon's Loyalty in their Pokedex, Loyalty is predominantly a role-playing aspect. The GM should pay attention to how the players act and treat their Pokemon during the game, and feel free to award or subtract loyalty points based on their actions over the course of the campaign. Mechanically, the player's Pokemon will obey them at 3 and above, though some Pokemon will only evolve when they reach a Loyalty level of 6. As a rule, players who simply use their Pokemon as tools for battle won't get above a 4 in Loyalty. Going higher than that will take some special care and attention.
I'll be back with more next time!
As always, thanks for reading! Until then,
- Jamie
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