Trainer Classes

''To see basic descriptions of all the classes, see List of Trainer Classes. To see a detailed list of all features with the [Class] tag, see List of Trainer Class Features.''

= Overview =

Introduction to Trainer Classes
Trainer Classes are a special type of Feature that also act as a gateway to a number of related Features. The Class itself is the Class Feature for a Trainer Class, and it is required to take any other Features in that Class.

Unlike other roleplaying games where a character tends to stick to only one class, and multiclassing is rare or difficult, in Pokémon Tabletop United, characters are expected to take a number of different Classes as they gain Levels and advance. Each Trainer Class represents a narrow specialty, of which an adventuring Trainer will likely pick up several during their journey.

There is no minimum level to start taking multiple classes in Pokémon Tabletop United, but a Trainer can only ever take a maximum of four Classes. Unless otherwise noted, you can only take any given Trainer Class once. Some Classes are known as Branching Classes, and you can take them multiple times (each time taking up one of your four Class slots), choosing different specialties each time, such as Grass Ace and Fire Ace within Type Ace.

Classes are separated into several categories in Pokémon Tabletop United.

Introductory Classes
Basic Classes that can provide the basis for many character builds. They are Ace Trainer, Capture Specialist, Commander, Coordinator, Hobbyist, and Mentor.

Battling Style Classes
Specialize in a distinct set of battle strategies. They are Cheerleader, Duelist, Enduring Soul, Juggler, Rider, Taskmaster, and Trickster.

Specialist Team Classes
Collect Pokémon with a particular trait and bring out the potential of that trait. They are Stat Ace, Style Expert, and Type Ace.

Professional Classes
Make use of skills that are less tied to the Pokémon League pursuit, such as research and crafting, but nonetheless find ways to improve their Pokémon and help their allies. They are Chef, Chronicler, Fashionista, Researcher, and Survivalist.

Fighter Classes
Fight alongside their Pokémon. They are Athlete, Dancer, Hunter, Martial Artist, Musician, Provocateur, Rogue, Roughneck, and Tumbler.

Supernatural Classes
Wield superhuman powers. They are Aura Guardian, Channeler, Hex Maniac, Ninja, Oracle, Sage, Telekinetic, Telepath, and Warper.

How to Read Classes
Trainer Classes are presented similarly to a “Skill Tree” format. They begin with a Class Feature which acts as the gateway into the rest of the Class and provide a basic function that is emblematic of the Class. Remember that these Class Features do count for the purposes of prerequisites that require a certain number of Features within a Class. Trainers may only ever have a maximum of four Class Features.

Description
Each Trainer Class is presented with a description of the type of Trainer who embodies that Class. Of course, this isn’t meant as an absolute constraint on how to play your character, but it’s there to provide an easy guide for someone who isn’t sure how they should characterize and develop their Trainer.

Associated Skills
In addition, each Trainer Class has a list of Associated Skills. These aren’t necessarily all required for the Class, but they are Skills that show up somewhere in the prerequisites for the Features in the Class (or as prerequisites to its prerequisites), sometimes as the only option and sometimes as part of a large set of options.

Roles
Finally, each Trainer Class has a rating assigned to its Roles. A total of five points, denoted by Poké Ball symbols, are distributed among five different categories to rate how much the Class is dedicated towards each Role. Note that these don’t rate a Class’s effectiveness at the role! They just show how much the Class focuses on each role, usually as a rough translation of how many Features contribute toward each role. Use these to help you pick Classes that suit what you want your character to accomplish, but be sure to pick classes which suit the flavor of your character first and foremost.

Active Pokémon Support
The Trainer Class is built to use its actions to support and buff their Pokémon. This can range from motivating a Pokémon to fight better to directing the movement of allies around the battlefield. Usually, Classes marked with this role spend AP on their Features, use Standard Actions to activate them, or a combination of both. Their resources and actions are limited and must be carefully budgeted.

Passive Pokémon Support
The Trainer Class is made to support their Pokémon but doesn’t require actions in combat to do so. Often, this means the benefits are acquired outside of combat, such as through Tutoring or enhanced training bonuses. Some Classes focusing heavily on this role may have activated effects in battle, but they tend to be Swift or Free Actions. Classes dedicated to this role are less concerned about budgeting actions or resources in the middle of battle.

Crafting
The Trainer Class focuses on creating items that can help both themselves and their allies. These Classes often require dedicating resources or time to acquiring materials for their craft and usually do not have many Features using a Standard Action in battle.

Trainer Combat
The Trainer Class is designed to get into the heat of battle themselves and will likely use their Standard Actions in battle to fight. Classes dedicated to this role tend to have Stat Tags in their Features to help Trainers keep up with Pokémon in combat. Most of them will grant the Trainer Abilities and Moves as well.

Travel and Investigation
The Trainer Class is designed to ease the burdens of travel or aid in out of combat situations. This is the most varied role, with Classes dedicated to it specializing in activities that range from clearing out Wild Pokémon to social maneuvering and research to pathfinding in the wilderness.

Note that these Roles don’t say anything about the flavor of a Class. Cheerleader, Taskmaster, and Commander are all primarily Active Pokémon Support Classes, but they each approach that Role in a very different way.

Strategy Pointers
When building a Trainer, you neither want to spread yourself too thin nor specialize too narrowly. Some roles synergize better with others.

Mixing Active Pokémon Support and Trainer Combat is sometimes difficult, for example, because you have a finite number of Standard Actions to use in battle and AP per scene, and your Classes will compete for those.

Static or non-combat Roles such as Passive Pokémon Support or Travel and Investigation pair well with those active Roles, but if you only dedicate yourself to passive effects, you’ll have nothing to do in battle yourself or ways to spend AP.

Crafting is always useful. However, you risk spreading your money thin with too many Crafting Classes.