Pokémon Discovery is a monster collecting/battling TTRPG. It’s not an attempt to recreate the Pokémon video games or anime at the table. It leans heavily on ideas and themes from different Pokémon media, but this is not a game about catching ‘em all or battling Gym Leaders. It’s meant to be a game of small, personal stories about kids and their budding relationships with their pokémon companions. And pokémon battles. Lots of pokémon battles.
Pokémon Discovery is what you’d get if Studio Ghibli made The Goonies set in a world with pokémon. It’s about pre-teen and teen PCs who live in a small rural town with adults who are too busy adulting to notice or solve the real problems, leaving it to the kids and their pocket monsters to go out and save the day. Adventures might look like…
Resolution. There is no single resolution mechanic. Checks to resolve actions work differently for Kids than for their pokémon. However, all resolution rolls use d6’s.
Kids. Kids have a single stat, detailed below. By default, when a Kid makes a check, they roll 1d6 and are either trying to roll under or over their stat, depending on the specific action they’re attempting. Advantageous circumstances may provide them up to a total of 3d6 for a single check. If any one die succeeds, the entire check succeeds. (Lazers & Feelings)
Pokémon. Pokémon have 5 stats. When a pokémon attempts an action, the action is always tied to one of their stats. They roll a number of d6’s equal to the relevant stat and compare the number of “hits” (rolls of 5 or 6) to a target number of hits set by the GM.
Power Rolls. Moves used by pokémon in battle often call for a power roll. Power rolls are 2d6 rolls with degrees of success. Each move’s description details the results for each degree of success. (PbtA-ish)
Catch Check. When attempting to catch a wild pokémon, the player rolls 1d6-1d6 and attempts to beat the target pokémon’s Catch Rating. b
À la carte Progression. Pokémon do not have levels; instead, their mechanical progression is more granular. Pokémon gain xp during battles, which they spend to purchase individual features like battle moves and stat upgrades.
Gaining xp. Pokémon gain xp any time they miss on a power roll in battle. They also gain xp through environmental exploration and discovery and resolving quest lines or other narrative tensions.
Type. All pokémon have one or two types. Types function like classes, conferring a number of features and granting access to moves that pokémon will purchase à la carte with their xp.
Type Effectiveness. The 18 pokémon types form a complex and interconnected rock-paper-scissors web (eg, Fire beats Grass, Grass beats Water, Water beats Fire).
Access to Battle Moves. Pokémon always start with Basic Moves from one of their Types, and they automatically have access to purchasing Advanced Moves from their Type.
In order to purchase a move from a different Type’s move-set, a pokémon must first be exposed to that Type, either through battle or exploration. The pokémon must then first purchase a Basic Move from that Type before it can purchase an Advanced Move.
Adaptations. Pokemon can gain permanent features by purchasing adaptations. These adaptations represent physiological changes. Some provide stat changes; others confer benefits that change the way battle moves function. By default, pokémon have access to all the adaptations from their Types and the Normal Type. They might gain an adaptation from another Type through exposure to it in battle or in the environment.
Evolution. Many pokémon evolve into new forms as they gain power and experience. Because pokémon do not have levels, their evolutions are not tied to reaching certain arbitrary thresholds. Instead, a Kid can call on their pokémon to attempt evolution any time the pokémon gains xp.
Stat Changes Upon Evolution. Evolution does not represent a straightforward increase in power, but rather a narrowing of focus. Each time a pokémon evolves, it gains +2 to one stat and -1 to two others.
Stats. Pokémon have 5 stats, which inform their abilities and effectiveness in and out of battle. Each can also be spent in battle for potent effects. Players assign a standard array of values to these stats for their starting pokémon at character creation; pokémon encountered in the wild have their stats randomly determined by the GM.
Stat Dice. Each stat has an associated die, the size of which is determined by the value you assign to the stat. The following table shows the relationship between stats and stat dice.
The first four stats (Might, Tricks, Fortitude, and Spirit) all follow the same convention: the stat dice get bigger for each point of increase in the stat. For example, if a pokémon has a Might of 3, its Might Die would be a d8. The final stat, Speed, is inverted: the Speed Die gets smaller as the stat increases.
Might, Tricks, Fortitude, Spirit
| Stat | Die |
|---|---|
| 1 | d4 |
| 2 | d6 |
| 3 | d8 |
| 4 | d10 |
| 5 | d12 |
Speed
| Stat | Die |
|---|---|
| 1 | d12 |
| 2 | d10 |
| 3 | d8 |
| 4 | d6 |
| 5 | d4 |
Hit Points. Pokémon have hit points (“hp”) which represent their ability to take damage in battle. Incoming damage is subtracted from a pokémon’s hp, and when hp drops to zero, that pokémon faints and is no longer able to battle.
Hit Dice and the HD Pool. A pokémon’s hp is determined by its Hit Dice (“HD”) Pool, with each Hit Die conferring its maximum value to the pokémon’s total hp. A pokémon with a HD Pool of 2d12 + 1d8 would have 32 total hp.
Hit Dice as Resources. Some moves allow the user to sacrifice Hit Dice to achieve certain effects.
Gaining New Hit Dice. There are several ways pokémon add new Hit Dice to their HD Pool, including…
Here are some sample pokémon: