adopted trait PFS


Pathfinder Society

1/5

So I'm getting into PFS and I have questions about the adopted trait. Like a lot of the allowed material says "Racial feats, racial traits, and racial spells are only available for characters of the assigned race." And I'm curious if the Adopted trait gets around this restriction or not.
Example: Can I take an Aasimar trait with adopted on a half-orc?


No, adopted only covers racial traits.

Now racial heritage, that covers the stuff you are looking for. Racial heritage is a human exclusive feat... but half orcs and half elves apparently count for that now, so hey, go wild. Grab racial heritage (aasimar). Be the golden winged man with tusks were were always meant to be.

1/5

lemeres wrote:

No, adopted only covers racial traits.

Now racial heritage, that covers the stuff you are looking for. Racial heritage is a human exclusive feat... but half orcs and half elves apparently count for that now, so hey, go wild. Grab racial heritage (aasimar). Be the golden winged man with tusks were were always meant to be.

So what is a racial trait that is legal to take with adopted in PFS?


Those are race traits. Everything that you can find in this link righ here.

Not going to actually guarantee that each of those are PFS legal though, but that is the specific trait's problem, not adopted's. Archives of Nethys is a somewhat reliable source for finding out which things are PFS legal (it tries to be accurate, but generally, you should always double check). Just look at the items with the little white circle thing on them.

1/5

So I can take an Aasimar trait with adopted on a half-orc?

Dark Archive

It's Race Trait, not Racial Trait.

And Aasimer is not a legal choice for Racial Heritage, though an Aasimar with the Scion of Humanity trait could take Racial Heritage.


Jadeite wrote:

It's Race Trait, not Racial Trait.

And Aasimer is not a legal choice for Racial Heritage, though an Aasimar with the Scion of Humanity trait could take Racial Heritage.

Ah, whoops, you are right. With all the times people made munchkin builds of aasimar with racial heritage, I forgot it doesn't work the other way around. Yeah, humanoids only.

1/5

Look I don't care about Racial Heritage, I'm not trying to count as an Aasimar. I'm wanting to know if adopted bypasses the rule that "Racial feats, racial traits, and racial spells are only available for characters of the assigned race."
Example is the trait Enlightened Warrior (Aasimar)
Can I take this trait in PFS on a half-orc?


Yes, that is precisely the kind of thing that adopted was designed for.

Sorry, we got off topic. People on this board get a bit of a hair trigger on this topic since there are a lot of people misread it (confusing race and racial traits) and try to get the trait to go way, way too far (like trying to get the human bonus feat through it).

I personally apologize for my assumptions. You were looking at the exact intended usage.

1/5

And even though Aasimar isn't a legal race I'm able to take their traits still, assuming the trait itself is a legal option. right?


Unless something has been changed, the trait itself is still PFS legal, as far as I am aware.


I have to say, creating Race traits and Racial Traits and naming them like that was one of the worst decisions Paizo ever made.


Chess Pwn wrote:
And even though Aasimar isn't a legal race I'm able to take their traits still, assuming the trait itself is a legal option. right?

Aasimar actually IS a perfectly legal race.

Assuming you managed to get your hands on a Boon which allows you to make a character that's an Aasimar.

It's legal, just extremely rare.

Which is understandable - it's one of the most BEASTLY races around, ESPECIALLY if you can take Scion of Humanity (which basically makes you a not-half-celestial, because yes, you now count as a human just like a half-elf or half-orc)

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

I missed this thread, and there's a lot of misinformation already posted, so let's see if we can clear it up.

Chess Pwn wrote:
Like a lot of the allowed material says "Racial feats, racial traits, and racial spells are only available for characters of the assigned race."

What you've quoted is not a general rule in PFS, but a specific exception for only a handful of sources. If you check the Additional Resources document you'll find that it's the principle exception of the Advanced Race Guide.

It's important to note that the Advanced Race Guide doesn't have a single Race Trait within its pages.

The Race Trait you're looking for is found in Blood of Angels. If you scroll up to that section of the Additional Resources document, we only find this exception:

Additional Resources for Blood of Angels wrote:
To create an aasimar, you must have a Chronicle sheet that opens the race as a legal option at character creation.

You're not creating an Aasimar, you're simply using the Adopted Trait to snag a Race Trait from a legal source.

You're good to go.

Grand Lodge 4/5

Nefreet wrote:

I missed this thread, and there's a lot of misinformation already posted, so let's see if we can clear it up.

Chess Pwn wrote:
Like a lot of the allowed material says "Racial feats, racial traits, and racial spells are only available for characters of the assigned race."

What you've quoted is not a general rule in PFS, but a specific exception for only a handful of sources. If you check the Additional Resources document you'll find that it's the principle exception of the Advanced Race Guide.

It's important to note that the Advanced Race Guide doesn't have a single Race Trait within its pages.

The Race Trait you're looking for is found in Blood of Angels. If you scroll up to that section of the Additional Resources document, we only find this exception:

Additional Resources for Blood of Angels wrote:
To create an aasimar, you must have a Chronicle sheet that opens the race as a legal option at character creation.

You're not creating an Aasimar, you're simply using the Adopted Trait to snag a Race Trait from a legal source.

You're good to go.

Actually, I thought I remembered a discussion that wound up with the post that you can only take a race trait, even via adopted, if it was for an open race, or if you had a boon to open that race up attached to the character that wanted to use an option for a boon-only race...

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

I've seen it suggested before, by forum posters, but never by anyone official.

Those boons are also for character creation. I don't see the link between attaching that boon to a preexisting character and getting a Trait out of it.

If Mike/Mark/John have said otherwise and I simply missed their comment, then that would change things.

Shadow Lodge *

Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

The "Xenophile" boon allows you to use race boons to gain skill specializations in skills associated with those races.

The "Xenophobe" boon allows you to use race boons to gain bonuses when facing those races.

Maybe that's what you're thinking of?

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

This exact same discussion was had a while back regarding Race Traits from Blood of Fiends, and we used the same points that've been brought up in this thread.

Conceptually, and thematically, I don't see this as being all that strange. Tieflings and Aasimars were the 2nd most populace race in PFS for a good run. Makes sense that some characters could've been adopted by them.

Mechanically, I don't see this as being a problem. The only Trait I've seen snagged from Blood of Angels was the Agathion Trait that lets you multiclass Barbarian and Monk (though I've seen two different PCs with it).

The only part where it gets weird is considering that the Traits from Blood of the Night are also up for grabs, but there aren't any particularly useful ones in there anyways.

The Exchange 5/5

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Races available to use with the Adopted trait

In 2013, Voyd211 wrote:
Anyway, what can the Adopted social trait apply to in Pathfinder society? The seven core and three bonus races, or anything in the ARG?
In 2013, James Jacobs wrote:
"The Adopted trait only lets you take a race trait from a race you are not a member of. Where you get that race trait doesn't matter, as long as it's approved for play in PFS."

The Aasimar race is approved for play in PFS, albeit in a limited context as the OP said. So Adopted + Enlightened Warrior = WIN Monkbarian.

Grand Lodge 4/5

Zan Greenshadow wrote:

Races available to use with the Adopted trait

In 2013, Voyd211 wrote:
Anyway, what can the Adopted social trait apply to in Pathfinder society? The seven core and three bonus races, or anything in the ARG?
In 2013, James Jacobs wrote:
"The Adopted trait only lets you take a race trait from a race you are not a member of. Where you get that race trait doesn't matter, as long as it's approved for play in PFS."
The Aasimar race is approved for play in PFS, albeit in a limited context as the OP said. So Adopted + Enlightened Warrior = WIN Monkbarian.

Isn't the name for that multi-class BarMonk, and you have to be a worshipper of Cayden Caillean?

Also tends to require taking the feat that gives you a cantrip usable three times a day, for enhanced water or whatever that spell is....

Liberty's Edge 5/5 5/5 *** Venture-Lieutenant, Indiana—Martinsville

It is my understanding that one would need to be able to play the race to get the traits. (Race or Racial) Adopted in PFS is a strange bird, as it assumes you have access to the race you choose when you create your character.

Aasimar and Tiefling are strange cases as they were legal choices for a time during previous seasons. Right now, we have Kitsune, Nagaji, Way Yang and the ever present Tengu that are the outside of core race legal races in the current game.

I assume any previous taken feats/traits taken while the Aasimar/Tiefling were legal would be grandfathered for the character, but I had been told that I could not take the Goblin traits at all without the Goblin Race Boon. (Using Adopted or not)

Was that in error, Nefreet? I can't do anything about it now, but it would have been nice to take a Goblin Race Trait (the Half Feat, not a swap ability) for my halfling.

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

thaX wrote:
I had been told that I could not take the Goblin traits at all without the Goblin Race Boon. (Using Adopted or not)

That's not a correct statement (though let me address one possible caveat).

I've never personally seen or read the text on the Goblin Race Boon itself. If it mentions, as an alternative option to character creation, that it may instead grant a non-Goblin PC access to a Goblin Race Trait, then that's what it does.

I suspect, however, that it states nothing of the sort. It most likely only allows you to create a Goblin PC, as all of the other Race Boons only allow you to create PCs of other races.

If that's all the Boon allows you to do, then attaching it to a character of any other race (such as your Halfling) would be pointless and useless.

Now, assuming I'm correct on the reading of the Boon, let's explore why your Halfling PC can't take a Goblin Race Trait. The answer lies in the Additional Resources document.

The Additional Resources listing for Goblins of Golarion wrote:
Only legal goblin PCs are allowed to choose anything from this book.

As far as I'm aware, the only Goblin Race Traits in all of Pathfinder are found in that book (save for a particular Free RPG Day Module).

So, the reason your Halfling can't take a Goblin Race Trait isn't because you need a Goblin Race Boon, it's because the Additional Resources document restricts access of those Traits to Goblin PCs.

Now, if we look at the Additional Resources listings for other races, such as Aasimars, Tieflings, and Dhampirs (from their respective Blood of books), we see no such restriction as that found for Goblins of Golarion.

Those races are fair game for Adopted.

Does it make sense now?

Liberty's Edge 5/5 5/5 *** Venture-Lieutenant, Indiana—Martinsville

Yep... Sucks to be me.

I am a little bitter about it because our group (The Annoying Investigators) for the second part of The Runescarved Key Special at Gen Con should have gotten the Goblin boon. We was improperly scored on the lowest tier even though we had played in the tier higher because of a couple of players leveling up between sessions.

I made this character as a result.

So I can't use the traits.

Grand Lodge 5/5

Umm there is a specific way to get a choice of 1 of 3 Goblin race traits (which you can make a permanent trait for your character by subbing out one of your other traits), but you need to have played [redacted] to do so. I don't know if that helps any.

Liberty's Edge 5/5 5/5 *** Venture-Lieutenant, Indiana—Martinsville

I will have to look. I think Zizel did play/get GM credit for that.

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