I am about to start a new campaign, and we have our character creation session scheduled for tomorrow. I am thinking about increasing the number of traits each character gets up to four (one must come from the campaign trait list).
This is our first pure Pathfinder game (3.5 and 3.5/PF hybrids to date) and the first time we're using traits. Does anyone have experience running with more than the recommended two traits? Did it cause any problems? We are a pretty experienced group, so complexity isn't really an issue.
Thanks for the thoughts and feedback.
Doubling the traits won't greatly increase the power level of the characters because you cannot select more than one trait from the same category. The best traits are campaign and magic traits. Campaign traits should be watched carefully as they're more powerful but specific to the campaign. If you're designing your own campaign rather than using a published adventure, I recommend creating your own traits, especially when you have experienced players to deal with.
My biggest problem with traits is that they're just yet another part of the character's build. Originally, traits were a GM tool for giving flavorful benefits to PCs based on their background.
As for my experiences, a GM in one campaign gave every PC in his game a bonus trait every 5 levels. Another GM gave each PC three traits. In my campaign, I gave two traits, but granted a powerful, unique trait at a higher level based on the events that unfolded in the campaign. For example, a bladebound magus is haunted by an eldritch shadow raven spirit. For her trait, the spirit granted her a boon where she explodes into a murder of crows upon being dropped to negative hitpoints, once per month. The gunslinger has an NPC spellcaster as a fiance, so I gave him the ability to channel her touch spells through firearm attacks if she casts the spell while holding his hand.
If I ran another campaign, I'd eschew the trait system entirely for something more similar to 5th Edition's background system. Maybe a homebrew a Pathfinder version with a little more crunch to it.
I'm running two PCs in Carrion Crown with extra traits (had to take the Additional Traits feat to do it) and in both cases it's been more flavorful than powerful:
Aasimar Cleric
Combat Anatomist
You have studied the workings of anatomy, either as a student at university or as an apprentice mortician or necromancer.
Benefit: You know where to aim your blows to strike vital organs and you gain a +1 trait bonus on all rolls made to confirm critical hits.
Faith Sacred Conduit
Your birth was particularly painful and difficult for your mother, who needed potent divine magic to ensure that you survived (your mother may or may not have). In any event, that magic infused you from an early age, and you now channel divine energy with greater ease than most.
Benefit: Whenever you channel energy, you gain a +1 trait bonus to the save DC of your channeled energy.
Regional Soldier of the Faith
You have served as a faithful enforcer of your faith.
Benefit: You gain a +1 trait bonus on Intimidate checks, and Intimidate is always a class skill for you.
Campaign Inspired by Greatness
Whether you knew Professor Lorrimor well or only in passing, as a colleague or competitor, his career and lifetime of discovery inspired you to be better at what you do. As you honed your craft, you and the professor corresponded, and he was delighted to hear that he had directly or indirectly motivated you to strive for your full potential. Saddened by the news of his death, you feel that you should honor his memory by fulfilling his final wishes and attending his funeral, and by ever striving to attain greater heights and someday match the influence and impact of your idol.
Benefit: Choose one spell you can cast. From now on, you always cast this spell at +1 caster level.
Ratfolk Ranger
Combat Threatening Defender
You know how to avoid a blow while still maintaining your offensive posture.
Benefit: When you use Combat Expertise, reduce the number you subtract from your melee attack rolls by 1.
Social Rich Parents
You were born into a rich family, perhaps even the nobility, and even though you turned to a life of adventure anyway, you enjoyed a one-time benefit to your initial finances.
Benefit: Your starting cash increases to 900 gp.
Regional Dim Seer
You were raised in the shadows and are accustomed to noticing things there.
Benefit: You gain a +2 trait bonus on Perception checks in dim light, and Perception is always a class skill for you.
Campaign On the Payroll
Whether he needed a bodyguard in a rough neighborhood, a guide to an isolated archeological dig, or information on a specialized topic, Professor Lorrimor was never shy about hiring professionals to help him attain his goals. Over the course of his long career, thousands of people throughout the world served his needs and benefited from his generous wages (usually covered by his academic benefactor at the time). He had contacts in most areas of expertise in every corner of the known world, a knack for recognizing talent, and a desire to be surrounded by the best and brightest at all times. Whatever job the professor originally hired you for, your performance captured his attention, and he hired you many times throughout your career, sometimes even for jobs away from your home, always paying your expenses and compensating you well for your time. In your area of expertise, you are among the best.
Benefit: Your years of hard work have paid off, granting you an additional 150 gp in starting wealth.
I'd suggest three rather than four, with one campaign trait. While keeping things simpler, it also leaves the Additional Traits feat open without digging into Race of Regional traits (4 Basic types, plus Campaign).
It very much depends on what traits the players choose. If they all pick Rich Parents, your game will be broken at 1st level and then recover. If they all pick Reactionary, Seeker, Conspiracy Hunter (Perception), Ambush Training, Warrior of Old, Paragon of Speed and so on, you may have some issues with getting a hit in first.
OTOH, if they go for weaksauce traits like Anatomist, Minor, Noble or Simple Disciple you won't notice the difference.
There are some classic OP traits (Wayang, Haleen, Anything of the Society) but most decent ones just give +4 to a skill, +2 to Initiative or about +1 to a save.
Ultimately, you've granted your PCs a feat each. Probably not going to break anything.
Thanks to you all for the input. I think i will end up going with two traits plus a campaign trait (we're running Kingmaker). I think that will strike the balance I am looking for.
I also really like the idea of the later, more powerful traits that tie into the PC's stories a bit more. I will definitely keep that as an option in my back pocket.
As a tangent, I also use the trait system to provide benefits that I'd consider too weak for feats, but not insignificant enough to be a freebie. Specifically, I let my players choose Exotic Weapon Proficiency as a trait.
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I grant additional traits as characters level up, with two restrictions: Level 1 characters must select traits from different types including exactly one Campaign Trait, and, no more than two traits from any single category may be selected.
Level: Traits
1: 3
2: 4
3: 4
4: 4
5: 5
6: 5
7: 5
8: 6
9: 6
10: 6
11: 7
12: 7
13: 7
14: 8
15: 8
16: 8
17: 9
18: 9
19: 9
20: 10
also it worth noting that if they want the effect but can't justify the background I let them simply re-name the trait to something more suiting.
I allow two traits, plus, if my player writes a backstory, a number of traits I deem appropriate given the write-up. I always max out on 5 traits and one drawback, and often modify traits to suit the flavor. So far, it's just been a nice incentive for buy-in.
I like the idea of requiring PCs to have at least one drawback. Sadly, I think most of the drawbacks are really terrible. The warded against nature one is actually more of a boon than a curse. Strangely, there's no phobia drawback, which strikes me as the most obvious drawback. I even considered requiring my players to give me a list of their character's fears so that any situation involving their phobia inflicts the shakened condition on them.
I've considered that if I ever GM again I would allow PCs to gain traits as they level as some of you suggest: probably one additional trait at 5/10/15/20. Good to see I'm not alone on this one.
You could really mess with them by reading their background and devising a list of 5-10 traits based on it. They could choose their traits from your list. ;)