With four Fridays in Ash(e) Month, I had to figure out which four out of the dozens of characters I named Ash that I would be doing. I ended up choosing some of the ones that I thought would be the easiest to build while still being interesting builds. Maybe I’ll do this again next year, but we’ll have to see if I can find any other Ashes that I think are interesting enough to build. As another summoner build, I promise that the next time I build a full summoner, it will not just be a child with a pet monster. Gonna do an adult with a pet monster. As always, this build is conceptualized entirely in a vacuum, with choices made in an attempt to fit the character. These choices might not hold up in a campaign with different themes and should be adjusted accordingly.
Let's get into the build for Ash Ketchum from Pokémon!
ASH KETCHUM
CHARACTER Ash Ketchum
SOURCE Pokémon
GOALS
o Ash is a young Pokémon trainer known best for traveling with Pikachu as his signature companion
o Pikachu is a small, mouse-like creature with considerable electric powers that are known to be excessive even for others of the same kind
o In his quest to become a Pokémon master, Ash has ventured across many lands, capturing other Pokémon and making new allies along the way, both human and Pokémon
o He is able to identify creatures using the Pokedex, a device that contains encyclopedic knowledge about the various creatures
o Despite being a young man, Ash has demonstrated incredible strength, being able to carry heavy creatures without any apparent issue and throwing 13’ logs on his own with ease
o Other Pokémon that Ash is known to travel with are Charizard, Greninja, and Lucario, but he has caught a wide variety of Pokémon
o In his journey, Ash has acquired a swath of badges and made friends across many regions
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Skilled Human
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Strength, +Charisma
o Ancestry Feat: Natural Skill
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (trained), Nature (trained), Society (trained)
Background: Eidolon Contact
o Ability Boosts: +Charisma, +Wisdom
o Skills: Religion (trained), Beast Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Dubious Knowledge
Class & Subclass: Summoner
o Class Ability Boost: +Charisma
o Skill Increase: Arcana (trained), Athletics (trained), Intimidation (trained), Survival (trained)
o Class Feat: Energy Heart – Electricity
o Spell Repertoire: Cantrips – detect magic, gouging claw, protect companion, tame, tanglefoot; 1st – summon animal, summon plant or fungus
Eidolon: Fleet Beast (Str 14, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10)
o Attacks: tail – 1d6 bludgeoning (deadly d8, finesse); claw – 1d6 electricity (agile, electricity, finesse)
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 14, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 18)
True to Ash’s story, he starts off with his trusty Pikachu, achieved through his eidolon with the Energy Heart evolution feat granting the little beast electricity damage on his attacks. Pikachu is substantially nimbler than he is powerful, leading to the choice of the fleet beast eidolon. When picking out his skills, I wanted to pick up skills that allowed Ash to identify creatures using Recall Knowledge, reflecting the use of the Pokedex. The only skill that he is missing for his collection of Recall Knowledge skills is Occultism. As a Pokémon trainer, Ash typically doesn’t get involved in the combat itself, preferring to let his Pokémon take the lead. As such, he doesn’t have many offensive spells with his leveled spells focused on summoning other members of his ‘Pokémon’ team and his cantrips mainly meant to assist him in those efforts. For the sake of functionality, I did have him pick up gouging claw and tanglefoot to give him some capabilities to defend himself.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Ranged Combatant
o Skill Feat: Hefty Hauler
o Eidolon Attacks: thundershock – 1d4 electricity (magical, range increment 30 feet, propulsive)
o Spell Repertoire: 1st – summon fey
o Gear: everburning torch
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Toughness
o Skill Increase: Religion (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 2nd – summon elemental
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+1), everburning torch, dull grey aeon stone
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Alacritous Action
o Skill Feat: Train Animal
o Spell Repertoire: 2nd – summoner’s precaution
o Gear: backfire mantle, handwraps of mighty blows (+1), oynx dog wondrous figurine, everburning torch
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 19)
o Eidolon Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 12)
o Ancestry Feat: Sense Allies
o Skill Increase: Arcana (expert), Nature (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 2nd – summon animal; 3rd – summon fey, summon plant or fungus
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), backfire mantle, golden legion epaulet, oynx dog wondrous figurine, everburning torch, dull grey aeon stone
Pikachu gains a ranged electricity attack with Ranged Combatant while becoming faster thanks to Alacritous Action. Hefty Hauler and the slight focus on Strength in general plays to the bizarre super strength that Ash sometimes exhibits while Train Animal is intended to cover his skill at bonding and taming his Pokémon team, which will be explored further with other feats. The primal spell list seems to provide the best set of summoning spells for Ash, between summon animal, summon elemental, and summon plant of fungus but he unfortunately lacks animate dead, precluding him from using Ghost-type Pokémon. With the spells he does gain, even if unable to mimic Ash’s classic team members, Ash should be able to summon facsimiles of most Pokémon.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Master Summoner
o Skill Feat: Bonded Animal
o Gear: +1 explorer’s clothing, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), animal staff, backfire mantle, onyx dog wondrous figurine, pyrite rat
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Incredible Initiative
o Skill Increase: Nature (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 3rd – summon animal; 4th – elemental gift, summon elemental
o Gear: staff of conjuration, +1 explorer’s clothing, candy constrictor wondrous figurine, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), backfire mantle, golden legion epaulet
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Boost Summons
o Skill Feat: Survey Wildlife
o Gear: jade serpent wondrous figurine, ring of electricity resistance, staff of conjuration, +1 explorer’s clothing, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking), belt of good health
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Multitalented – Druid Dedication (leaf order)
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Occultism (trained), Stealth (trained)
o Spell Repertoire: 4th – summon animal; 5th – summon plant or fungus, summon giant
o Gear: +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, jade serpent wondrous figurine, rubber bear wondrous figurine, staff of conjuration, candy constrictor wondrous figurine, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking)
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Charisma (Str 18, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 20)
o Eidolon Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 18, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 14)
o Class Feat: Basic Druid Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Assured Identification
o Gear: ruby hippopotamus wondrous figurine, +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, greater animal staff, jade serpent wondrous figurine, ring of electricity resistance, handwraps of mighty blows (+1 striking)
An important part of Ash’s build is gained with the grabbing of Master Summoner. Summoners don’t gain many spells, but Master Summoner turns a single spell slot into two as long those slots are used to cast summoning spells. This is what Ash wants to be doing for the most part anyway, so it is perfect for him. As Ash has a heavy focus on summoning creatures, Boost Summons allows him to empower them along with his eidolon. Meanwhile, with his Multitalented ancestry feat, Ash can then pick up the Druid Dedication, using the leaf order to mimic the effects of the berries from the Pokémon games down the line. As mentioned previously, summoners have limited spells while Basic Druid Spellcasting will grant him spells that he’ll mainly look towards using as buffing spells, such as guidance and haste.
Bonded Animal improves the Train Animal skill feat that Ash picked up earlier, allowing him to gain a companion for an additional period of time. Survey Wildlife is based on the Pokedex a bit as well, revealing the ‘Pokémon’ that dwell in the area. Finally, taking the Druid Dedication allows Ash to become trained in Occultism, rounding out his Recall Knowledge skills.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: A Home in Every Port
o Skill Increase: Arcana (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 5th – elemental gift; 6th – summon animal, summon elemental
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 striking), armbands of athleticism, ruby hippopotamus wondrous figurine, +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, jade serpent wondrous figurine, rubber bear wondrous figurine
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Order Spell
o Skill Feat: Express Rider
o Gear: +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 striking), greater staff of conjuration, ruby hippopotamus wondrous figurine, electricity weapon rune, crown of the fire eater
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Hardy Traveler
o Skill Increase: Religion (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 6th – summon plant or fungus; 7th – elemental gift, summon giant
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, greater goggles of night, greater staff of conjuration, armbands of athleticism, ruby hippopotamus wondrous figurine
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Expert Druid Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Pilgrim’s Token
o Gear: marble elephant wondrous figurine, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), major animal staff, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, golden lions wondrous figurine, greater ring of electricity resistance
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 18, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 21)
o Eidolon Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 19, Dex 21, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 16)
o General Feat: Incredible Investiture
o Skill Increase: Nature (legendary)
o Spell Repertoire: 7th – summon elemental; 8th – summon animal, summon plant or fungus
o Gear: +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, marble elephant wondrous figurine, greater broken tusk pendant, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), greater goggles of night, greater ring of electricity resistance
As mentioned previously, Ash can use Order Spell to gain goodberry. This simple little spell allows Ash to mimic the effects of the berries in the Pokémon games. On the other hand, Expert Druid Spellcasting increases the buffing spells that Ash has, with particular importance being in the gaining of more spell slots for elemental gift. Between spells such as summon animal and elemental gift, Ash can better make creatures resemble Pokémon from the game. Given Ash’s wide-ranging adventures that are largely conducted on foot, A Home in Every Port as well as the Hardy Traveler felt very appropriate for his build. Similar to that idea, Pilgrim’s Token helps him act quicker, as does the previously taken Incredible Initiative, both of which serve to emulate Pikachu’s high speed stat in the Pokémon games that generally allow it to act first in combat. Finally, Express Rider plays into the idea of rideable Pokémon that are common within the games.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Effortless Concentration
o Skill Feat: Forager
o Gear: greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, major staff of conjuration, marble elephant wondrous figurine, handwraps of mighty blows (+2 greater striking), greater bullhook
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Heroic Presence
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (expert)
o Eidolon Transcendence: Dexterity
o Spell Repertoire: 8th – elemental gift; 9th – summon elemental, summon giant
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), dragonscale amulet, greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, marble elephant wondrous figurine, greater broken tusk pendant
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Ostentatious Arrival
o Skill Feat: Glad-Hand
o Gear: circlet of persuasion, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), speed weapon rune, greater shock weapon rune, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, major staff of conjuration
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Fast Recovery
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (master)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, circlet of persuasion, greater armbands of athleticism, handwraps of mighty blows (+3 greater striking), dragonscale amulet, greater shock weapon rune
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 18, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 22)
o Eidolon Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 20, Dex 24, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 18, Cha 18)
o Class Feat: Legendary Summoner
o Skill Feat: Shameless Request
o Skill Increase: Medicine (trained)
o Gear: handwraps of mighty blows (+3 major striking), +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, mask of allure, greater armbands of athleticism, speed weapon rune, major crown of the fire eater
Ash’s last three class feats focus on his summoning capabilities, starting with Effortless Concentration, which is practically a necessity for his build. It will allow him to maintain a summon and still have three actions to use. Ostentatious Arrival allows his summoned monsters to appear in a burst of energy that deals damage without allowing a save against it, which is very handy. It doesn’t entirely fit the Ash or Pokémon trainer aesthetic of the build, so for those that don’t like it, consider taking Master Druid Spellcasting instead for more buffing spells. Finally, Legendary Summoner grants Ash 10th level summoning spells, which is just handy for his build. Outside of his summoning, Ash focuses on bolstering his allies and companions, helped by the Heroic Presence ancestry feat. Ash also has a propensity to make friends, whether with his Pokémon or with other people, leading to the slight focus on Diplomacy though it may have been better to focus on his other Recall Knowledge skills, which ended up getting away from me a bit.
CONCLUSION
Ash is most famously known for his companion Pikachu, who is achieved early on with Energy Heart and Ranged Combatant, only growing more powerful with his base stats from there. With his investment in skills that allow for Recalling Knowledge, Ash covers the effects of his Pokedex with his knowledge skills alone. The other members of his Pokémon team are achieved through his variety of summoning spells, with the most important three being summon animal, summon elemental, and summon plant or fungus. He can bring his summoned creatures further in line with Pokémon by infusing them with elements thanks to the elemental gift spell. The scope of his wide-ranging adventures are covered through feats such as A Home in Every Port, Hardy Traveler, Pilgrim’s Token, and similar abilities.
Be sure to lemme know what you think of the build!
If you want to join in on the discussion of these builds and the ones I do for monsters or just hang out with a bunch of fellow TTRPG nerd, check out the Discord server. We also have a Twitter where we try to post teasers for the blog and are trying to get some milestones made up for. Next Friday, in honor of April Fools Day, I'll be doing a build for the original prankster!
Until then, have a fantastic Friday!
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