Do Core characters get Traits?


Pathfinder Society

Grand Lodge

My understanding of Core characters is that they use only the Core book. Reading the Guild Guide step 8 is to pick two traits, but states that traits only come Advanced Players Guide or the online resource.

So as the title states, do Core characters not get traits, is it a single exception, or am I incorrect in what material is allowed for a Core character?

As always, thank you for your time!

The Exchange 5/5 *** Venture-Captain, Ireland—Belfast

If memory serves you can use the free PDF traits. On the hoof at the moment so I can't really put up a link. There is a forum for just for Core campaign where this is dealt with on more detail.

See page 20 of the Guide to Organised Play:

Core campaign players are limited to the following resources for character creation as explained in Chapter 2:
• Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook
• Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play (this document)
• Pathfinder Character Traits Web Enhancement

Have fun playing Core!

W

Silver Crusade 4/5 5/55/55/5 RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8

Correct you get two traits as normal, but can only select them from the free traits .pdf or the Roleplaying Guild Guide.

Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/5

Here you go: Character Traits Web Enhancement

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

And HERE is the Core Campaign forum for all of your future Core needs =)

Grand Lodge

Thanks! Examining the traits available to Core players makes me kind of sad though. There don't even seem to get racial, which are really fun ones.

Scarab Sages

You can still take reactionary, dangerously curious, and magical knack, which are very nice. Sacred touch is also great for preventing an ally death.

Also, the extra traits feat does appear in the web enhancement, so you can take that in a core game as well.

Sovereign Court

I need to double check my Core Fighter... I might have accidentally taken an APG trait but I can't remember what his second was, only that I took Armor Expert (definitely allowed).

Liberty's Edge 3/5 5/5 **** Venture-Captain, Nebraska—Omaha

I believe most, if not all, the traits in APG are duplicated in the Character Traits Web Enhancement.

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

Not the Race, Regional, or Religion Traits.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Allerum wrote:
Thanks! Examining the traits available to Core players makes me kind of sad though. There don't even seem to get racial, which are really fun ones.

The whole point of Core is to strip the game down to the basics.. It's more challenging because you don't get game changing traits like Magical Lineage and real powerful race ones that people take heritage feats to snag.

Scarab Sages

LazarX wrote:
Allerum wrote:
Thanks! Examining the traits available to Core players makes me kind of sad though. There don't even seem to get racial, which are really fun ones.
The whole point of Core is to strip the game down to the basics.. It's more challenging because you don't get game changing traits like Magical Lineage and real powerful race ones that people take heritage feats to snag.

Magical Lineage appears in the Traits web enhancement. It's legal for PFS CORE.

5/5 *****

LazarX wrote:
Allerum wrote:
Thanks! Examining the traits available to Core players makes me kind of sad though. There don't even seem to get racial, which are really fun ones.
The whole point of Core is to strip the game down to the basics.. It's more challenging because you don't get game changing traits like Magical Lineage and real powerful race ones that people take heritage feats to snag.

Magical Lineage is available in core. The idea that Core is some sort of balance patch is laughable given it contains most of the full level 9 casters.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
andreww wrote:
LazarX wrote:
Allerum wrote:
Thanks! Examining the traits available to Core players makes me kind of sad though. There don't even seem to get racial, which are really fun ones.
The whole point of Core is to strip the game down to the basics.. It's more challenging because you don't get game changing traits like Magical Lineage and real powerful race ones that people take heritage feats to snag.
Magical Lineage is available in core. The idea that Core is some sort of balance patch is laughable given it contains most of the full level 9 casters.

So you're bashing core because it has classes that have 9th level spells, when 12th level restricting you to 6th level spells at most is the retirement threshold?

I understand that you hate full spellcasters. Please remember that is your position, not a universal stand.

Scarab Sages

LazarX wrote:
andreww wrote:
LazarX wrote:
Allerum wrote:
Thanks! Examining the traits available to Core players makes me kind of sad though. There don't even seem to get racial, which are really fun ones.
The whole point of Core is to strip the game down to the basics.. It's more challenging because you don't get game changing traits like Magical Lineage and real powerful race ones that people take heritage feats to snag.
Magical Lineage is available in core. The idea that Core is some sort of balance patch is laughable given it contains most of the full level 9 casters.

So you're bashing core because it has classes that have 9th level spells, when 12th level restricting you to 6th level spells at most is the retirement threshold?

I understand that you hate full spellcasters. Please remember that is your position, not a universal stand.

That isn't bashing core. That is just stating the fact that the most imbalanced builds possible can all be done in the core rules.

Such as Magical Lineage, which you used as an example.

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

And you can take characters (5, at most) to level 20 anyways.

There hasn't been a level 12 cap for years.

Liberty's Edge 3/5 5/5 **** Venture-Captain, Nebraska—Omaha

Nefreet wrote:
Not the Race, Regional, or Religion Traits.

Well that counts as "most" by my Common Core standard! lol

Scarab Sages 5/5 5/5 *** Venture-Captain, Washington—Spokane

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LazarX wrote:
Allerum wrote:
Thanks! Examining the traits available to Core players makes me kind of sad though. There don't even seem to get racial, which are really fun ones.
The whole point of Core is to strip the game down to the basics.. It's more challenging because you don't get game changing traits like Magical Lineage and real powerful race ones that people take heritage feats to snag.

I thought the reasons for Core were:

Increase replay opportunities for Veteran players.

Encourage potential GMs to step up by reducing the options available to players.

Encourage new players overwhelmed by all the material in the standard campaign by starting them into the Core Campaign.

Give veteran players the opportunity to guide new players by starting them out with the Core options and then working their way into the Standard campaign.

I don't seem to recall Core Campaign as a balance initative, unless I missed something?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Nefreet wrote:

And you can take characters (5, at most) to level 20 anyways.

There hasn't been a level 12 cap for years.

It's an effective level cap, because you don't have scenarios written for beyond level 11, and tables higher than that are hard to arrange.

5/5 *****

LazarX wrote:
So you're bashing core because it has classes that have 9th level spells, when 12th level restricting you to 6th level spells at most is the retirement threshold?

I haven't bashed anything and casters happily dominate the game at almost any level if play if people know what they are doing. Being restricted to mostly sub level 12 play makes little difference.

Quote:
I understand that you hate full spellcasters. Please remember that is your position, not a universal stand.

You understand nothing. Mostly I play sorcerers and oracles when I get a chance to play rather than run.

Liberty's Edge 4/5 5/5

2 people marked this as a favorite.
LazarX wrote:
andreww wrote:
I understand that you hate full spellcasters.

I almost fell off my chair reading that! I can't remember seeing andreww playing anything BUT full spellcasters...


Could I also use the faction traits for a Core Character as well? I believe they're PFS free resources as well, even if factions don't really serve much function beyond flavor.

Scarab Sages

While I don't have a source on me at the moment, my reading is yes, you can use current, legal faction traits in Core (as the Guide to Organized Play is allowed to be used in Core).

Obviously, you can not use old traits that are no longer legal, retired faction traits, etc.

Scarab Sages

Fist2Jaw wrote:
Could I also use the faction traits for a Core Character as well? I believe they're PFS free resources as well, even if factions don't really serve much function beyond flavor.

Only the ones that appear in the Guide.

Scarab Sages

nosig wrote:
Zauron13 wrote:

While I don't have a source on me at the moment, my reading is yes, you can use current, legal faction traits in Core (as the Guide to Organized Play is allowed to be used in Core).

Obviously, you can not use old traits that are no longer legal, retired faction traits, etc.

fixed that for you...

Thanks. Just edited mine to be correct.

Curse you smartphones, and your ability to make text look correct!

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

Fist2Jaw wrote:
even if factions don't really serve much function beyond flavor.

Traits are just one of several mechanical benefits to Factions. Chronicle Sheet boons and Faction Journal Cards make up the majority of the rest. Outside of Core there are Faction Prestige Awards, as well.

For a short period Factions were just flavor, but today they provide more benefits than ever before.

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