Natures
Each Pokémon has their own personality - their own wants, needs, likes and dislikes. Taking care of your Pokémon means building a trusting relationship with them and accepting them for who they are.
As such, any Pokémon you come into contact with has its own Nature that may affect their ability scores and sticks with them for their entire life. The following table can be used by the DM to randomly give Pokémon a nature with a roll of a d100. When you choose your starter, you may choose any of the following with their effects.
| d100 | Nature | Increase | Decrease |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | Hardy | - | - |
| 5-8 | Lonely | +1 str | -1 con |
| 9-12 | Brave | +1 str | -1 dex |
| 13-16 | Adamant | +1 str | -1 wis |
| 17-20 | Naughty | +1 str | -1 cha |
| 21-24 | Bold | +1 con | -1 str |
| 25-28 | Docile | - | - |
| 29-32 | Relaxed | +1 con | -1 dex |
| 33-36 | Impish | +1 con | -1 wis |
| 37-40 | Lax | +1 con | -1 cha |
| 41-44 | Timid | +1 dex | -1 str |
| 45-48 | Hasty | +1 dex | -1 con |
| 49-52 | Serious | - | - |
| 53-56 | Jolly | +1 dex | -1 wis |
| 57-60 | Naive | +1 dex | -1 cha |
| 61-64 | Modest | +1 wis | -1 str |
| 65-68 | Mild | +1 wis | -1 con |
| 69-72 | Quiet | +1 wis | -1 dex |
| 73-76 | Bashful | - | - |
| 77-80 | Rash | +1 wis | -1 cha |
| 81-84 | Calm | +1 cha | -1 str |
| 85-88 | Gentle | +1 cha | -1 con |
| 89-92 | Sassy | +1 cha | -1 dex |
| 93-96 | Careful | +1 cha | -1 wis |
| 97-100 | Quirky | - | - |
Note: The Trainers Tool does not, currently, apply Nature modifications. This maximizes flexibility for tables that prefer using Natures entirely for their narrative power.
Custom Natures
Personality is highly diverse and impossible to distill into a finite number of terms. Inventing custom natures can allow your table to more richly roleplay your trainers' Pokémon and their relationships with each other.
By default, custom natures do not modify attributes. You may work with your DM on what makes sense, or roll a d100 to apply one of the effects of the natures in the above table.
Original Nature Table
The table above is updated to include all natures found in the games. The natures found in the original handbook are reprinted here if you prefer them.
| d20 | Nature | Increase | Decrease |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reckless | +2 str | -2 dex |
| 2 | Rash | +2 str | -2 con |
| 3 | Brave | +2 str | -2 wis |
| 4 | Arrogant | +2 str | -2 cha |
| 5 | Skittish | +2 dex | -2 str |
| 6 | Hasty | +2 dex | -2 con |
| 7 | Energetic | +2 dex | -2 cha |
| 8 | Clumsy | +2 dex | -2 wis |
| 9 | Apathetic | +2 con | -2 dex |
| 10 | Stubborn | +2 con | -2 wis |
| 11 | Grumpy | +2 con | -2 cha |
| 12 | Relaxed | +2 con | -2 str |
| 13 | Careful | +2 wis | -2 str |
| 14 | Curious | +2 wis | -2 con |
| 15 | Naughty | +2 wis | -2 cha |
| 16 | Cheerful | +2 cha | -2 dex |
| 17 | Sassy | +2 cha | -2 dex |
| 18 | Innocent | +2 cha | -2 wis |
| 19 | Hardy | +1 ac | -2 dex |
| 20 | Nimble | +1 ac | -2 str |