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I recently allowed traits for my gaming group, they have to choose 1 combat trait and 1 social trait. One of my favorites are Rich Parents, which gives you an addtional 900gp as starting wealth. What do you consider the best and most useful traits for your characters?
Are there any traits you like that adds to your roleplaying experience?
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Most if it will vary by character, of course, but I've found a couple standouts I come back to, time and again:
Fate's Favored (Faith): Whenever you are under the effect of a luck bonus of any kind, it is increased by 1. Both amazing, and flavorful.
Wisdom in the Flesh (Religion: Irori): Pick a DEX or STR based skill. For you, it is now a WIS based skill, and a class skill.
Clever Wordplay (Social): Pick any CHA-based skill; it becomes an INT-based skill for you. I like to use this one with Use Magic Device for my wizards.
Magical Knack (Magic): Your caster level with one class is increased by 2 to a maximum of your character level. This is pretty much essentially for multi-class characters. One of my favorites is a Wizard 6 / Evangelist 10 / Monk 1. Because of this trait, his caster level stays at a full 17.
Armor Expert (Combat). Reduce the armor check of armor you wear by 1. Kind of snooze, admittedly, but solid. Allows characters who are not proficient in medium armor to wear Mithral Breastplates without any non-proficiency penalties.
Survivor (Regional): +1 initiative, +1 Sense Motive, and Sense Motive is a class skill. Very flavorful, and good choice if you want a character to be able to Sense Motive, and Sense Motive isn't already a class skill for them.
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Reactionary is a pretty good one just because going first can mean winning.
Defender of society is great for a fighter, the +1 AC so long as you are wearing medium or heavy armor.
The spell hunter and magical lineage traits are great for a metamagic user, especially a magus with intensified shocking grist for free basically. (depending if they stack or not free empower or persistent can be useful)
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Indomitable Will is also a good one; +1 to Will Saves is nothing to scoff at, and does provide flavorful opportunities.
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I think Reactionary is considered one of the best combat traits, for the +2 trait bonus to Initiative.
Pragmatic Activator is pretty fun, since it turns Use Magic Device from a CHA-based skill into an INT-based one.
There's also Trap Finder, which essentially gives any character the Rogue's Trapfinding class feature. It's a campaign trait for the Mummy's Mask Adventure Path, though.
Pragmatic Activator is pretty fun, since it turns Use Magic Device from a CHA-based skill into an INT-based one.
Clever Wordplay is often a better choice for this; it does the same thing, but it's a Social trait, so you can use the Magic trait for something else. Depends on what you want, of course.
I pretty much always grab focused mind and reactionary.
Reactionary and Fate's Favored are my general "good stuff" traits. Other traits are usually to be used in conjunction with a particular build.
For a rogue (or other Stealthy character), I find that Child of the Moon is quite nice. You get a +1 to either Climb, Stealth, or Swim (your choice, I think Stealth is the best choice though) then based on the phase of the moon it can be +2 or +4 instead.
That last one seems like a great way to get the GM annoyed at you by asking him to keep track of the lunar cycle, though...
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If you're playing a class without Perception as a class skill, I am a fan of Seeker. Perception checks happen a lot in the games I play though.
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That last one seems like a great way to get the GM annoyed at you by asking him to keep track of the lunar cycle, though...
Ha true, but then it is in the Blood of the Moon book, which if your GM is allowing that book, he/she probably already is. I'm used to keeping track of moon phases myself anyway, because I have played White Wolf's Werewolf the Apocalypse/Forsaken for years.
Whichever trait best fits the character's background.
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One of my favorites are Rich Parents, which gives you an addtional 900gp as starting wealth.
Rich Parents increases starting wealth to 900 gp., it doesn't add 900 gp. to your starting wealth. It's still an awesome trait for a 1st level one-shot game, where it literally doesn't matter at all that you've got a trait that will stop being relevant soon after your first treasure-bearing encounter of the game.
Traits that increase the DC of a spell, or reduce the metamagic cost of a spell, might be better long-term investments, if you are playing a caster who expects to get heavy use out of one specific spell (which synergizes well with casters who have an option to alter the energy type of an offensive spell, allowing them to get around energy-resistant or energy-immune foes, or with a caster who is planning on heavily using a non-attack spell, like extended haste).
Many of the 'X of the Society' Pathfinder Society traits are just flat out awesome, and it seems like there's one for every class.
For RP stuff, Dueling Cloak Adept or Excitable (Reactionary, for Gnomes) are pretty flavorful.
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Whichever trait best fits the character's background.
I find that provided I put some thought into, literally every trait fits my character background. Reflavoring op!
Focused Mind/Desperate Focus. Blowing concentration checks sucks.
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Whichever trait best fits the character's background.
too OP, wouldn't advise for balanced gameplay.
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1. Any trait that boost initiative.
2. A trait giving me perception as a class skill.
3. A trait that boost a save I am weak at.
Almost every time I have two of these, and I always have at least one.
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I recently allowed traits for my gaming group, they have to choose 1 combat trait and 1 social trait. One of my favorites are Rich Parents, which gives you an addtional 900gp as starting wealth. What do you consider the best and most useful traits for your characters?
Are there any traits you like that adds to your roleplaying experience?
Reactionary (+2 Initiative) is great for anyone.
Omen (grants +1 Intimidate, Intimidate as a class skill AND allows you to Intimidate 1/day as a swift action) is fantastic for martial classes that like Intimidate builds using Cornugon Smash, Dreadful Carnage, etc.
Community Minded (increases duration of Morale bonuses you give to yourself or others by 2 rounds) is ideal for Barbarians, Heroism Clerics and Orcish Bloodline users, among others.
Magical Knack (+2 caster level) is perfect for Spellcasters and Gish who dip another class.
Magical Lineage (-1 to effective level for one spell when applying metamagic feats) is incredibly useful for some specialized caster builds.
Goblin Foolhardiness (+1 attack when not adjacent to an ally) for Goblin martials including one of my favorite characters.
Glory of Old (+1 to Dwarven Hardiness) is almost a must for any Dwarven character.
Suicidal (make yourself target of enemy attack 1/day as an immediate action) for my Tiefling Paladin.
Defender of the Society (+1 AC when wearing medium or heavy armor) is perfect for any two-handed or two-weapon fighters.
Blessed Touch (heal 1 additional hit point when casting cure spells, using lay on hands or channelling) is useful for healing-heavy Clerics and Oracles as well as Paladins who lean on Lay on Hands a lot in combat.
Threatening Defender (Combat Expertise penalty is 1 less) for characters that utilize Combat Expertise or Stalwart/Improved Stalwart.
Heavy Handed or whatever name it goes by (+1 damage with unarmed attacks) is perfect, obviously, for characters who use unarmed attacks like the Fighter Brawler or Monks.
Fate's Favored (+1 to all luck bonuses) is a must for Archeologists or any other character who relies heavily on Luck bonuses.
And one of our group's favorites was a home-brew trait which I would like to plug here:
Flair for Combat
Your whole life, combat has come more naturally to you than others despite limited training.
You are considered one level higher for purposes of your BAB when qualifying for feats and abilities. Your BAB bonus can not be higher than your character level.
Essentially it works the same way Magical Knack does, but for martials, and is especially useful for 3/4 classes attempting to qualify for that first feat - meaning your Bard or Cleric can take Weapon Focus or Power Attack at 1st level instead of 3rd for instance. It can make a huge difference when you're a feat-starved 3/4 and you're working up a BAB-dependent feat tree like Dazzling Display or Cleave. We've gone back and forth on the wording as to whether you should be considered one level higher or if you should just gain an additional effective +1. Note that this does not increase their actual BAB, just when they can qualify for feats and abilities with BAB pre-requisites.
Heavy Handed or whatever name it goes by (+1 damage with unarmed attacks) is perfect, obviously, for characters who use unarmed attacks like the Fighter Brawler or Monks.
I wasn't aware of this one, where is it from?
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I wasn't aware of this one, where is it from?Heavy Handed or whatever name it goes by (+1 damage with unarmed attacks) is perfect, obviously, for characters who use unarmed attacks like the Fighter Brawler or Monks.
It looks like it was based off of 'Quain Martial Artist'?
I'll bite. Does this mean that Barbarian bonuses last two rounds after you end rage? And I guess for whatever morale bonuses Bardic performance gives, though that is a little more complicated.
Community Minded (increases duration of Morale bonuses you give to yourself or others by 2 rounds) is ideal for Barbarians, Heroism Clerics and Orcish Bloodline users, among others.
That's my understanding, though ironically I imagine the Fatigued condition would still take effect, blunting that aspect of its benefit.
The two places I've seen it used in person is a Cleric with the Heroism subdomain using it to fuel his Aura of Heroism and a Summoner who took the Orc Bloodline via Eldritch Heritage using it to power up his eidolon for three rounds with Touch of Rage.
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I really enjoy the Rough and Ready trait, it lets you use some weird things as weapons, like playing cards, instruments, 2x4s etc.
If you pick something like profession (carpenter) then anything from hammers, to ladders, to boards to nails can be used as a weapon.
My personal favorite, so far, is profession (magician/card dealer/gambler) along with Arcane Strike to throw magical playing cards at people as if they were shuriken.
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My problem with Reactionary is the fluff.
I know people ignore the fluff in many cases, just as well with Reactionary.
Reactionary:You were bullied often as a child, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you became adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly.
Yet it's amazing how so many of these meek and cowardly people grew up to be be Cavaliers and Barbarians and Paladins. At least at the games I've played. It's by far the most popular trait. 3/4 of all adventurers were bullied as a kid. Who knew?
When I GM, I make players justify their traits with a story. That weeds out a few of these Reactionaries.
The Patriarch and The Lantern Bearer both grant cantrips usable 3/day and with a caster level equal to level. Great if you to cast spells (one arcane and one divine) or have an ability/feat based off of caster level.
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I especially like the ones that let you use a different stat for a skill. Wisdom in The Flesh, Pragmatic Activator, etc.
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My problem with Reactionary is the fluff.
I know people ignore the fluff in many cases, just as well with Reactionary.
Reactionary:You were bullied often as a child, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you became adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly.
Yet it's amazing how so many of these meek and cowardly people grew up to be be Cavaliers and Barbarians and Paladins. At least at the games I've played. It's by far the most popular trait. 3/4 of all adventurers were bullied as a kid. Who knew?
When I GM, I make players justify their traits with a story. That weeds out a few of these Reactionaries.
The PC was bullied, this made them quick to react. Tired of it the PC took a level in Facebeater McDamagedealer and used their honed reactions to knock them all down a few pegs.
Or:
The PC although a strong fighter has a skittish personality, quick to react to any situation.
Or:
The PC is well prepared and able to adapt quickly to any situations reacting quickly to any changes in the situations thanks to their ability to read the situations.
And on...
Indomitable Will is also a good one; +1 to Will Saves is nothing to scoff at, and does provide flavorful opportunities.
Right there are several which give a +1 to Fort or Will, and failing one of those saves can ruin your whole day.
The trait that gives +2 to Will vs Charms and Compulsions, I think, would be more valuable than a +1 to all Will saves. It's those charm and compulsion spells I worry about if the GM doesn't allow the ioun stone + wayfinder trick.
Indomitable Will is also a good one; +1 to Will Saves is nothing to scoff at, and does provide flavorful opportunities.Right there are several which give a +1 to Fort or Will, and failing one of those saves can ruin your whole day.
Yes. More-so the Will Saves than the Fort Saves, since 90% of Will Saves end up ruining the ability to control your character, and everything auto-succeeds the Fort saving throw anyway.
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My problem with Reactionary is the fluff.
I know people ignore the fluff in many cases, just as well with Reactionary.
Reactionary:You were bullied often as a child, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you became adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly.
Yet it's amazing how so many of these meek and cowardly people grew up to be be Cavaliers and Barbarians and Paladins. At least at the games I've played. It's by far the most popular trait. 3/4 of all adventurers were bullied as a kid. Who knew?
When I GM, I make players justify their traits with a story. That weeds out a few of these Reactionaries.
I know, the Karate Kid in the original Karate Kid bacjk in the day was bullied as a child. Then he learned to be " adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly". Also a Karate Kid.
So fluff is justied easily.
Some good ones from Inner Sea Gods, all Religion Traits:
Elemental Affinity lets you pick an elemental descriptor, and increases the DC of all spells you cast with that descriptor by 1. Great for focused blasters. Need to worship an elemental lord.
Defensive Strategist requires you to worship Torag. It says that you aren't flat-footed at the start of battle... that's more than half of the benefit of Uncanny Dodge from a trait.
Empty Heart, Full Hart. Requires that you worship Naderi; you get +1 to saves against charm effects, and foes take -1 to saves against your charm spells. Could be great for a focused charmer sorcerer.
Lessons of Chaldira. Requires that you worship Chaldira Zuzaristan. Once per day before the result of a saving throw is known, you can re-roll the save. Holy heck.
Purity of Faith (Iomedae). +1 to will saves AND +1 to all saves against evil outsiders (with the evil subtype, that is)
Secret Knowledge (Norgorber). +2 to a knowledge skill of choice and it is a class skill. Excellent way to add one knowledge expertise to any character.
Strong-Willed (Cayden Cailean). +2 to saves on charm and compulsion effects. Perhaps better than a +1 on will saves, since charms and compulsions are the ones that make you kill your party.
Unswaying Love. Identical to the previous one, except for Shelyn instead.
Second Chance is a good one. Reroll a failed save once a day? Yes, please.
"Second Chance" is actually "Lessons of Chaldira", it's just that the site you got it from, d20pfsrd, can't use the protected words like "Chaldira". It was nerfed slightly to force you to re-roll the save before knowing the result, but it's still really good. It does require you to worship Chaldira Zuzaristan, though.
My problem with Reactionary is the fluff.
I know people ignore the fluff in many cases, just as well with Reactionary.
Reactionary:You were bullied often as a child, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you became adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly.
Yet it's amazing how so many of these meek and cowardly people grew up to be be Cavaliers and Barbarians and Paladins. At least at the games I've played. It's by far the most popular trait. 3/4 of all adventurers were bullied as a kid. Who knew?
When I GM, I make players justify their traits with a story. That weeds out a few of these Reactionaries.
I know, the Karate Kid in the original Karate Kid bacjk in the day was bullied as a child. Then he learned to be " adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly". Also a Karate Kid.
So fluff is justied easily.
Yup!
...
Until the sequels, then he goes back to being bullied and has to get re-trained all over again.
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The problem with 'Reactionary' isn't the fluff, it's that you're just another guy taking 'Reactionary'.
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Yes. More-so the Will Saves than the Fort Saves, since 90% of Will Saves end up ruining the ability to control your character, and everything auto-succeeds the Fort saving throw anyway.Indomitable Will is also a good one; +1 to Will Saves is nothing to scoff at, and does provide flavorful opportunities.Right there are several which give a +1 to Fort or Will, and failing one of those saves can ruin your whole day.
Rogues don't.
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My favourite traits are the ones that best match my background story and or give me some inspiration for a background that matches how I see the personality of my new character.
Mechanics wise, If I pick that way it's mostly to buff up a weakness in the class more than anything else. Save mods are good, extra skills are good for things like fighters etc.
Cheers
My problem with Reactionary is the fluff.
I know people ignore the fluff in many cases, just as well with Reactionary.
Reactionary:You were bullied often as a child, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you became adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly.
Yet it's amazing how so many of these meek and cowardly people grew up to be be Cavaliers and Barbarians and Paladins. At least at the games I've played. It's by far the most popular trait. 3/4 of all adventurers were bullied as a kid. Who knew?
When I GM, I make players justify their traits with a story. That weeds out a few of these Reactionaries.
As you say, that's flavor text, and is thus both non-binding and mutable.
The problem with 'Reactionary' isn't the fluff, it's that you're just another guy taking 'Reactionary'.
And that's a problem ... why?
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The problem with 'Reactionary' isn't the fluff, it's that you're just another guy taking 'Reactionary'.And that's a problem ... why?
Because it's one less opportunity to make your character memorable which, in my mind, is the real goal. Not all will agree, I know.
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My characters are made memorable by the way they are played, not by text on a sheet.
My personal favorites are Optimistic Gambler and Outlander: Lore Seeker.