archetypes

The Spirited Battler

This Trainer achieves victory through sheer tenacity and spirit, believing in their Pokémon 100%. They may not necessarily use the most naturally powerful species or display the best understanding of tactics, but their hard work and training will carry them to great heights.

Notable Examples: Ash

How to Build: Start with the Ace Trainer or Cheerleader. Ace Trainer gives you a leg up in battle even when using weaker Pokémon, provided you're able and willing to put the time in each day to train them. Their Features tend to emphasize hard work and training, and they're a good representation of how Spirited Battlers approach Pokémon battling. Cheerleader provides options such as Now's Your Chance, Motivate, and I Believe in You! which simulate how Trainers such as Ash can pull victory from the jaws of defeat through having faith in their Pokémon.

General Features such as Cover can be fitting for Spirited Battlers who aren't afraid to get hurt for their Pokémon's sake. Affirmation and the General Feature Orders are also good options.

From there, Spirited Battlers can expand into Enduring Soul if they want their Pokémon to be tough enough to last many battles through force of will or into Mentor to represent their belief in their Pokémon and their strong bonds unlocking the hidden potential of their Pokémon. Underdog is an option for Spirited Battlers who prefer using Pokémon that aren't always seen as the strongest, and you may even choose to begin with that class if you know for sure that's the path you'll take.

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The Professor's Assistant

This Trainer isn't out to win the Pokémon League and become champion of the region. Their reason for traveling is more about helping a Professor with their research and learning more about Pokémon.

Notable Examples: Crystal

How to Build: In the early levels, having more Edges available to gain Skill Ranks is important, particularly in Education Skills such as Pokémon Education. Researcher is an obvious option that allows a Trainer to quickly gain many Education Skill Ranks at a low level. If building a Trainer who isn't as focused on academic study and emphasizes helping their Professor with field work, consider a class like Capture Specialist or Rogue. Rogue provides valuable additional Skill Ranks for low level Trainers but doesn't bind them to Education Skills like Researcher does while Capture Specialist allows a Trainer to excel at the classical task given to Pokédex holders: catching 'em all.

From there, your choice of where to expand will largely depend on the goals of your research and study. A Professor's Assistant more geared towards field work and observation may go into Ranger to get better at navigating the wilderness. Scouting Trek is a valuable General Feature for these kinds of Professor's Assistants too, even without taking the Ranger class afterwards. Photographer may also be valuable for the Travel Album Feature and would fit the high Perception needed for the job. A more academic Professor's Assistant will likely dig deep into the particular Field of Study they're interested in. From there, the Scientist is a good option for Trainers who may wish to make their own Pokémon as part of their research.

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The Tactician

This Trainer aims to win with smarts, not brawn. They're focused on developing the most effective tactics to win, and they may employ a wide range of Pokémon focusing on using Status Afflictions, Hazards, Blessings, and clever combinations of Pokémon and Moves to overcome foes with more sheer offensive strength.

Notable Examples: Max?

How to Build: Early on, like most of the battling-centric archetypes, you may want to focus on Ace Trainer for the boosts to EXP and the benefits of Trained Stats. Chef may be a good choice for Tacticians who realize the importance of pre-battle preparations and make the most of Snack Items and Berries. Mentor of course is a great fit for this archetype as well with their ability to teach Pokémon Moves earlier than normal and allow them to retain more Moves.

All of the Orders in the General Features are good choices for a Tactician and represent their ability to quickly give their Pokémon tactical advice on the fly.

From there the obvious class for a Tactician to choose is the Mastermind, which can make the most of Orders and manipulate movement on the battlefield. Other good choices include the Classes that specialize in a certain subset of Pokémon, such as the Type and Stat Aces and the Style Expert. Juggler also makes an interesting Tactician option due to the all of the strategies made available with the ability to quickly cycle through a team of Pokémon.