Race Traits vs Racial Traits (an answer)

[Gauss]

I am posting this here to respect James Jacobs request that discussions occur somewhere else besides his Q&A thread.

There is plenty of confusion as to the difference of Race vs Racial Traits. The difference between the two is really quite simple:

On APG p331 you will find Race Traits. These traits are clearly marked as Race Traits and not Racial Traits. They are part of the 'half feat' trait system and can be taken when you take the social trait 'Adopted'.

In the description of every race there are Racial Traits. Example: Dwarf Racial Traits on CRB p21. These Racial Traits are not the same thing as Race Traits from the 'half feat' trait system.

Adopted specifically states you may choose a Race Trait. It does not state you may choose a Racial Trait. Thus, you may choose any Race Trait from the 'half feat' trait system but you may not choose a Racial Trait that is part of the race statblock.

Hope this clears things up.

- Gauss

[kevin_video]

Yes. Yes it does. I thought I was right. Seemed kind of strange that you might be able to spontaneously have darkvision.

[Luna_Silvertear]

This still isn't going to change the fact that someone is going to post a threads to the effect of changing out racial traits with race traits or the 'additional traits' feat applies to racial traits every week. I honestly don't see the problem and how they'd get mixed up. It usually indicate that they're not actually reading those sections of the book in their entireity (sp).

[Greg Wasson]

Luna_Silvertear wrote:

This still isn't going to change the fact that someone is going to post a threads to the effect of changing out racial traits with race traits or the 'additional traits' feat applies to racial traits every week. I honestly don't see the problem and how they'd get mixed up. It usually indicate that they're not actually reading those sections of the book in their entireity (sp).

Have a guy in my main group, we have played iterations of D&D for over twenty years. He still will just read the name of a feat and maybe the first line of fluff (often just the quick descriptor in the table) and just "make-up" what he feels it should do. For Pathfinder, his response when questioned about his odd rules is, " oh, they must have changed it in Pathfinder." *facepalm*

Greg