Here it is! Pokemon D&D, or at least a game based roughly on D&D.

The top chart is of the first 3 of the 18 Pokemon character classes I have created. As you can see they are based on actual Pokemon abilities and incorporate some D&D features. Most damage is based on d6’s while leach and damage over time abilities tend to be d4’s.

You roll out your character as you would with D&D. Roll your abilities by taking the best 3 rolls from 4d6. Fill, in your saves as well as your AC, Grapple, and Initiative Modifier. The Level/BAB/Ability Pts chart is for your reference when leveling up. All players start with 6hp + Con modifier. At each new level they gain 1d6+Con hp.

Setting up combat is fairly simple. The players determine the order in which they will be in, and DM can either do the same or have the enemy trainer’s Pokemon randomly ordered. Once you enter combat each player is designated a “Slot.” The slot is from the order you choose. Each Pokemon is squared off against one other. You then go down the line with combat, and the initiative modifier determined which Pokemon in each slot goes first.

Players can use their turns to either use an ability, attack, or switch spots to a willing ally. When a Pokemon faints they are taken out of combat and that slot becomes empty and players may move into those slots as an action.

Combat is pretty straight forward, you roll an attack or ability and beat their AC or save. Its the same mechanics as D&D. Your “Ability Points” determine how many of each ability you can use per encounter. As you can see as you level you gain additional use of your abilities. Note that all Pokemon have a base attack of 1d4 Physical damage that can be used an unlimited amount of times. I know this is not on the cards, it will likely be included in the future.

Note that you can only have 4 abilities open at a time, and once you unlearn one you cannot use it again. Each level you gain new abilities based on your Pokemon and it is up to the player to determine which abilities to keep.

Apologies for the sloppily written rules, I made several changes while in the process of writing it. Feel free to question or comment, any feedback is highly appreciated.

I’ve gotten a (hopefully) working beta of the Pokémon D&D I’ve been working on for a few days. It’s a very simplistic take on it and boarders closer to a board game with a bit of character creation. I’ll be giving other players a chance to look it over tonight in one of the campaigns I play in and hopefully will get some feedback.

To summarize what I’ve got so far, there are 18 Pokémon evolution trees to pick from, all from the original 150. The only exceptions are characters which are part of an evolutionary tract that did not appear in the first series of games but was later filled in. There are 13 levels and at each new level you gain a new ability. Abilities include physical attacks, elemental attacks, buffs, and debuffs.

The way combat works is you prepare the order of your party ahead of time, as does the opponent (prior to players deciding or at random). After the order is chosen the players are laid out against their opponents. Each player fights one npc, and combat goes down the row like in D&D. Players can use buffs on themselves and allies, use their turn to switch spots with a willing ally, or attack the enemy directly across from them.

Abilities are used for the following:

STR: Physical Attacks

DEX: Some physical attacks and movement skills.

CON: Health related skills.

INT: Determining how many times a player can use a skill in a single session of combat.

WIS: Casting skills.

CHA: Performance skills.

Combat works like D&D. Attack rolls are against an AC and spell castings are against either CON (Fortitude) or DEX (reflex). The difference is that successful reflexes save means taking no damage. Another difference is the inclusion of element types. Fire does double damage to plant, but only half to water. This goes for all the elemental types.

I have the Player Cards and Class Cards all made up and if everything goes well I might get some more feedback. If anyone is interested in receiving the rules or the cards in digital format just send me a message.

I was talking to a player who had several questions, and he asked at one point how much DMing I had done. When I mentioned I had done other games besides D&D he was a bit confused until I told him that Pen and Paper RPGs are an entire genre of gaming. He then asked if there were either Star Wars or Pokémon. I know there are several version of Star Wars as any true nerd should (Trekkies be damned) but beyond home brew I don’t believe there is a real Pokémon Pen and Paper game. I thought about it a bit and decided I would ask how my players felt about a 1 off session of Pokémon D&D. I actually got flying yeses from not only my player but from another person who refused to play D&D with us.

So I began thinking of how I would set it up. With traditional Pokémon combat its 1 vs. 1 with both trainers and Pokémon. In a group setting, especially so large I think it would move too slowly. I then go the idea to have an “all out battle” mode. Here the trainer would throw out all of his Pokémon at once, and the players would each take the roll of one of them, and the opponent would do the same. This could allow players to each have a turn in a round of combat, which fits the D&D combat system nicely.

DandDwiki.com has some nice homebrew Pokémon monsters which I think can nicely be turned into playable classes. As for type advantage I think that if something is “super effective” you will receive a +1d6 damage bonus and if it is “not very effective” you will receive a -1d6 roll, up to a minimum of 1 point damage. After a player levels a few times it can be boosted up to 2d6 additional damage and so on as well as gain new abilities.

As for role playing the group as a whole will decide how the trainer acts. This might get a bit sticky but the only way to find out is to try it. Hopefully there will be more to come soon. Any suggestions are welcome, I’m pretty much making this up as I go.