Totally not Pokémon in Pathfinder

[Firest Kathon]

Reposted from a different thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?383126-A-question-and-a-reference), because I like the idea and want to give it some more attention:

I was thinking about various random aspects to put into my campaign that I run and a thought popped into my head. It was an idea to implement something kind of like Pokemon where you could capture smallish creatures and use them to your advantage. Any ideas on the best way to implement this in a balanced way?


Summon Pokolon
You can summon a small creature to aid you in combat.
Prerequisites: Cha 11
Benefit: You summon a small creature to your side to aid you. This works as Summon Monster I, except for the following: The creature you summon is build following the rules for the Eidolon of a 1st-level Summoner (no Archetypes!) and gains the Young simple template. You select the evolutions for this creature when you select this feat. It can only be changed with a special ritual taking 8 hours and requiring special materials costing 100 gp. You can use this ability (3 + CHA) times per day (min 1) at a caster level equal to your character level.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times. Every time, you create a different Pokolon which can be summoned (3 + CHA) times per day, min 1. To use this feat you require a special artifact known as an Eidoball which costs 150 gp to make (Construction: Craft Wondrous Item, Summon Monster (any) or Summon Nature's Ally (any), Spellcraft or Craft (Traps) DC20)

Evolve Pokolon
Your Pokolon becomes stronger.
Prerequisites: Summon Pokolon, Cha 13, Character Level 5
Benefit: The Pokolon this feat is selected for loses the Young template and is build following the rules for the Eidolon of a 3rd-level Summoner.
Special: You can take this feat one time per Summon Pokolon feat you have.

Greater Evolve Pokolon
Your Pokolon becomes stronger.
Prerequisites: Summon Pokolon, Evolve Pokolon, Cha 15, Character Level 10
Benefit: The Pokolon this feat is selected for is build following the rules for the Eidolon of a 6th-level Summoner.
Special: You can take this feat one time per Evolve Pokolon feat you have.

[Slightly Updated from original post]

What do you think, would this be somewhat balanced? I intended it to be useful as a spy/utility, but not significantly alter combat beyond providing some distraction/flanking. Maybe up the duration to 1 minute per two character levels, min 1?

[Amphetryon]

Reposted from a different thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?383126-A-question-and-a-reference), because I like the idea and want to give it some more attention:


What do you think, would this be somewhat balanced? I intended it to be useful as a spy/utility, but not significantly alter combat beyond providing some distraction/flanking. Maybe up the duration to 1 minute per two character levels, min 1?

Have you considered the Preservationist Alchemist for this? It seems to fulfill a similar function with a similar feel, to me.

[Fouredged Sword]

Seems not too broken compared to say leadership. That said, this should likely go in the homebrew forum, as you are proposing new material rather than discussing RAW/RAI.

[AvatarVecna]

Alternatively, you could, you know, just play a Summoner, and build up your Eidolon.

[Fouredged Sword]

Alternatively, you could, you know, just play a Summoner, and build up your Eidolon.

Or we could make a Pokemaster archtype for the summoner that let you summon one of 6 eidolons, but no more than one at a time. :smallbiggrin:

[Firest Kathon]

Have you considered the Preservationist Alchemist for this? It seems to fulfill a similar function with a similar feel, to me.
Interesting, I haven't looked at that archetype before. It is very much a full-blown trainer.

That said, this should likely go in the homebrew forum, as you are proposing new material rather than discussing RAW/RAI.
Agreed and asked the moderators to do so.

Alternatively, you could, you know, just play a Summoner, and build up your Eidolon.
You could absolutely, but I (or rather the OP in the original thread) was thinking about an alternative when you do not want to play a summoner. Just a little extra if you play another class.

Or we could make a Pokemaster archtype for the summoner that let you summon one of 6 eidolons, but no more than one at a time. :smallbiggrin:
There's the Broodmaster Summoner (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/summoner/archetypes/paizo---summoner-archetypes/broodmaster) archetype, which does just that.

[AvatarVecna]

Exactly. It allows for a growing relationship between human and creature; rather than just you summoning "some random creature of the type you wanted", you summoned YOUR pokemon. Obviously, the base summoner only has one eidolon, but it's easier to homebrew an archetype that works for the summoner than it would be to homebrew a spell line, especially when you can't really justify giving a pokemon master other spells.

[AvatarVecna]

Well, if you're trying to fit the mechanics of pokemon without Summoner, rather than just the flavor, I would suggest retooling Handle Animal instead of homebrewing a spell line: it's more in line with how it actually works.

[Hamste]

I really want to play a pathfinder pokemon game now. Being able to make my own pokemon would be cool.

[Murk]

There should at least be the rule that you can only summon Pokolons which you have defeated before!

Or would that make it more of an undead companion? Probably. Hm.

[Mith]

Not necessarily. Just that you reduced it to 0 hp. So reduced to Unconsciousness.

[Ssalarn]

On the subject of "totally not Pokemon for Pathfinder", Northwinter Press did a really awesome release called Mystical: Kingdom of Monsters that does an amazing job of combining Pathfinder and the basic ideas behind Pokemon. Instead of a feat tree they actually did a whole class and a bunch of archetypes that allow you to capture, train, fight with, and advance companion monsters, and they added a ton of monsters that are a little more like pokemon than your standard PF critters, as well as statting up a bunch of classic monsters as companion creatures.


Mystical: Kingdom of Monsters is a 180 page supplement primarily built around a new class it introduces, the Monster Trainer. Along with the Monster Trainer class, this 180 page .pdf includes archetypes, new spells, and over 150 monsters both new and familiar that the Monster Trainer can capture and tame. Let's dive into the meat of this thing-

The Monster Trainer is a 3/4 BAB, 6 + INT skill, 9 level caster who captures monsters and utilizes them in a symbiotic blending of man and beast. Does 3/4 BAB, good skills, a pet, and 9th level casting seem a bit much? It did to me at first too, but it make a lot more sense as you dig in to the class and mechanics.
The Monster Trainer doesn't have a spell list of his own; instead, he gains knowledge of spells determined by his active monster and casts them as a sorcerer of his level. This generally means your spell list is much more limited than a true 9 level caster's, and is dependent upon the monster you're currently using. The bond between the trainer and his monster is also more limited than that of standard pet classes, since the Trainer must spend his actions to command his monster.

If some of this is starting to sound pretty familiar, that's not a coincidence. The supplement was inspired by Pokemon and that influence can be seen in both art and mechanics. The art in this supplement is beautiful, and tip-toes carefully down a line blending traditional fantasy art styles with more anime-esque art. Truthfully, I was pretty skeptical when I stumbled upon this, saying something to the effect of "Pokemon for Pathfinder? Pffft!" Turns out, I shouldn't have been so dismissive. When I went to see what kind of train-wreck had evolved from that concept, I was stunned to find a mechanically elegant, beautifully illustrated, and excellently fleshed out supplement with all the rules necessary to either graft the subsystem onto your home game's world or to enter the world of the Kingdom as laid out in the supplement.

The monsters are my favorite part, and honestly, I've spent as much time ogling the art and mechanics of the various monsters as actually playing with any of them. There's 150 critters laid out within, with everything from low level "companion" monsters (think starter pokemon) to high level beasts from the Bestiary like the glabrezu, updated with appropriate companion stats and abilities. The large array of low level monsters is excellent, giving the class a huge level or replayability. You could play a melee focused monster trainer, a trainer who focuses on blasting and/or utility with just about any element, a healing focused character, a buffer... If there's a role in the game you want to play, there's probably a class feature and monster combination that will allow you to fill it.

One of my favorite things about this supplement is how well it plays with other classes. The shared action economy and limit of calling one monster per encounter means that you aren't taking up any more table time than any other player, and the game presents several options for advancing your monster, keeping your initial companion relevant through all levels of play. The two main methods of advancing your monster are either through monster "growth" (think evolution), or through spending one of your class features (called Trainer Perks) to allow your companion to advance as a druid's animal companion. This is especially nice for groups where the GM may be inclined to let a player try the class out, but doesn't want to have make extra allowances in his campaign for the player to capture new monsters at every level.

All in all, I was beyond pleasantly surprised at the quality and execution of this supplement. The class is well balanced and very interesting, the concept is fun, the mini bestiary is surprisingly extensive, and everythign about the supplement serves to bring it to life in a way that is extremely fun and serves to enhance any game without getting in the way or intruding on the established parameters of a current campaign. I have to highly recommend this to anyone who's interested in running a pet-based class that is better balanced than the Summoner and has more variety than the traditional animal companion classes. It's also a great source of possible inspiration for GMs looking for something a little different for their next home game.