I love the idea of traits, and I was wondering if anyone has come u with any traits to be used with characters who have a connection to Golarion's deities.
The only one I've got so far is:
Lost Child of Lamashtu: One of your ancestors was a servitor of the Mother of Monsters, and they seem to have been something... other than human. Because of this Lamashtu has taken an interest in you, and she speaks to you in terrifying nightmares that reveal the awful truth about your family tree. You've learned to deal with these night sendings for the moment, granting you a +1 trait bonus on saves versus fear effects. You've also learned from the dreams, and start with one bonus language from a monstrous race. I.e., Gnoll, Goblin, Harpy, anything Humanoid or Monstrous Humanoid in origin.
Does it sound okay for a trait, or is it too strong?
Looks good to me, however maybe the homebrew section would be a better placement (not an FYI, nothing else) for this thread. A rather nice trait in my opinion.
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The trait sounds pretty balanced.
Random other faith traits;
Urgathoa faith or Gnoll racial
Carrion Queen/King – You have +2 to Handle Animal (or Wild Empathy) checks against carrion-eaters such as hyenas and vultures.
Urgathoa
Creatures of the Night – summon monster or summon nature's ally spells that you cast to summon bats, rats and wolves (including fiendish or dire versions thereof) are at +1 caster level.
Abadar (cities, wealth, merchants, law)
Purchaser – +1 to Appraise checks and always treat Appraise as a Class skill.
Purveyor – +1 to Diplomacy checks and always treat Diplomacy as a Class skill.
Arbiter – +2 to Sense Motive checks to tell if someone is concealing evidence of committing a crime.
Officiant – +1 DC to command spells that would result in the target being compelled to obey a lawful order or cease an illegal activity. (Telling a fleeing rogue to ‘stop,’ for instance.)
Banker’s Charge – All of your worn or carried gear gains a +2 trait bonus to saving throws to avoid harm and is treated as if it possessed a hardness 2 greater than normal.
Lawbreaker’s Demise – You gain a +2 trait bonus to crossbow damage whenever you take a Readied action to interrupt someone doing something unlawful or any creature with the [Chaotic] descriptor.
Asmodeus (tyranny, pride, slavery, contracts)
Examiner – +2 to checks to determine if something is a forgery.
Forceful – +2 to Intimidate checks against social inferiors.
Fires of Hell – you gain a +1 trait bonus to damage when using alchemist’s fire, a fire spell that requires an attack roll, or a weapon with the flaming or flaming burst property.
Binding Contract – anyone who breaks a contract with you suffers the effects of a Bane spell.
Calistria (trickery, lust, revenge)
Deceiver – +2 to Bluff checks to seduce or betray someone who has wronged you.
Pillow Talk – Gather Information is always treated as a class skill for you and you have a +1 trait bonus to Gather Information checks. [Alternately, always a class skill, and if untrained, you get a +2 bonus to GI checks. No bonus if trained.]
Thrice-Stung – get an automatic attack of opportunity (that counts as one of your AoOs) when someone strikes you a third time in a single combat. Any additional attacks from that foe in the same combat, even if there are three more of them, do not give this opportunity.
Three Stings – when using any ranged slashing or piercing weapon, you gain +1 to damage rolls on a second hit in a single round and a +2 to damage rolls on a third hit in a single round. Any additional hits have no increased effect.
Wasp Companion - if you have the Arcane Bond feature, you add the Calistrian Wasp to your list of potential familiars. As a Familiar, the Wasp gains an Intelligence score and qualifies for Feats and skills, with Weapon Finesse as it's first Feat. The Wasp grants the user a +3 to Perception checks.
Cayden Cailean (freedom, ale, wine and bravery)
Fool’s Courage – +1 to saves vs. fear effects for every level of intoxication.
Freedom's Draught - +2 to Disable Device, Escape Artist or Strength checks to break free of bindings, manacles or restraints, these rolls are never penalized by the effects of intoxication.
Nethys (magic, knowledge)
Minor Magic – you can spontaneously transform any 0-level spell into a prestidigitation spell as a full-round action.
Arcane Savant – you gain the 1st and 2nd round of information on the 1st round of viewing an item using any detect magic spell that have you personally cast.
Mixologist – any potion you consume affects you as if it were prepared at +1 caster level.
Desna
Star-kissed Dreamer - can cast an Augury spell that takes a full eight hours of undisturbed rest to reveal itself, in the form of prophetic dreams. You add your wisdom score to the chance of an accurate answer, and if the augury pertains to a specific event that occurs within the next day, you gain a +1 trait bonus to attack rolls, skill checks and saving throws during that encounter, if you received an accurate augury, but suffer a similar penalty if the augury failed.
Sparkling Travelers - Dancing lights is automatically known as a bonus Orison or Cantrip. Non-spellcasters or spellcasters who do not gain the use of cantrips (such as Paladins and Rangers) cast the spell at CL 1 up to 3 times per day + 1 / day per point of their Charisma or Wisdom modifier (whichever is better).
Gozreh
Waterbearer- – Create water is added to Orisons / Cantrips known as a free bonus spell, but is always cast at CL 1.
Iomedae
Shining Steel – You can cast light on a longsword in your own hand at will. The light extinguishes immediately if the weapon leaves your hand (or is sheathed).
Nethys
Iron Handed – You gain a +1 trait bonus to damage rolls on attempts to Sunder and +1 trait bonus to your Armor Class when Fighting Defensively, using Total Defense or Combat Expertise.
Arcane Channeling – You can expend a Turn/Rebuke or Channel Energy use as a free action to add or subtract up to four to the caster level of the next spell cast in that round. (Make a turning check of 1d20 + Charisma modifier, and consult the chart on PHB 159 to see if the Cleric adds or subtracts caster levels, and how many. A spell cast at CL 0 or less automatically fails!)
Erastil
Cooperative Strength - When you use the Aid Other action, you can provide a +3 bonus to your allys attack roll, armor class or skill check, instead of a +2 bonus to the chosen roll. You can also perform an Aid Other action as a move action, but the bonus is reduced to +1.
Rovagug
Adept of Destruction – you gain a +1 trait bonus to damage on Sunder attempts, or when striking to damage unliving objects (including Constructs, but not Undead).
Lamashtu
Favored Cousin – you gain a +1 to Diplomacy or Intimidate rolls when interacting with Demons, Gnolls, Goblinoids or Minotaurs. Speak Language (Abyssal, Gnoll or Goblinoid) always count as class skills for you.
Osirioni guide dieties;
Khepri
Khepri's Blessing - You have received an unusual blessing, and the servants of Khepri respond to your call. Whenever you cast a Summon Monster spell (as an arcane or divine spell) to summon one or more celestial giant fire beetle, celestial giant bombardier beetles or celestial giant stag beetles, you extra rounds of duration equal to the level of the spell, and you can command the creatures as if you spoke Celestial even if you do not.
Special: If you are a druid, you add Giant Fire Beetle, Giant Bombardier Beetle and Giant Stag Beetle to your Summon Nature's Ally I, II and V lists, respectively, and gain the same duration bonuses above, but you do not gain the ability to communicate with them in Celestial.
Wedjet
Venom of Wedjet - As a standard action, you can spontaneously convert (and cast) any divine or arcane spell of at least 1st level into a 1st level Close range ray spell that produces a gout of blinding venom. It's effects are the same as Color Spray on the single target struck, but the spell is Conjuration, and it's saving throw is Fortitude based. A spell higher than 1st level can be spontaneously converted into a metamagic enhanced version of the spell as a full-round action, if the appropriate metamagic feat is known.
Apep
Apep's Lieutenant - Whenever you use a Summon Nature's Ally or Summon Monster spell to summon a Snake (Viper or Constrictor) or Crocodile (normal or Giant), whether mundane or augmented by the Fiendish template, you gain the ability to communicate with the creatures summoned as if you shared their language. If you use an additional material component of wand to staff sized sticks of wood, for snakes, or planks of lumber or logs, for crocodiles (all of which must be within touch range and unattended and not part of a structure, if not necessarily carried on the casters person), the spell's duration increases by one minute.
Gods of Golarion;
Yuelral
Crystallomantic Lore – You can create Ioun Stones as if you possessed the necessary feats and spells (must meet casting level prerequisite). If you have the necessary feats and spells you can craft Ioun Stones at 75% of the cost and in 75% of the time.
Findeladlara
Eye of the Artisan – You gain a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge (architecture & engineering checks) and a +2 trait bonus to Appraise checks to determine the quality / value of art objects.
Ketephys
Huntsman’s Eye – You have spent long years practicing the arts of striking the vital spots of prey that is not aware of your presence. You gain a +2 trait bonus to bow damage on any target that is flat-footed or denied it’s Dex bonus against your attack. This is treated as precision damage.
Faithful Companion – You are treated as 2 levels higher in any class that grants Summon Familiar or Animal Companion (but no higher than your character level), so long as the familiar is a hawk or the companion is a riding dog. If you have levels in both sorts of classes, and have both a hawk familiar *and* a riding dog companion, you are treated as 4 levels higher in each class, still up to a maximum of your character level.
[Note that all of these were written up before Pathfinder release, using Beta or 3.5 as guidelines, so they might need tweakage!]
I recall seeing others, try to search for Battle Rager, Friend of the Forge, Master of Toil or Shield or Torag,
Wow, those are some great ideas, Set. Thanks muchly for sharing.
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A few more random Faith Traits (bumping this rather than creating yet another thread).
Gorum
Divine Armor – you are proficient with heavy armor, but you draw so much divine strength from your worn armor that you suffer a form of Divine Spell Failure equal to 5% per level of the Cleric spell you wish to cast. This divine spell failure is canceled out by the arcane spell failure value of the armor you wear, so that you can cancel out 40% worth of divine spell failure with a suit of halfplate, allowing you to cast up to 8th level Cleric spells with no chance of divine spell failure (and a light or heavy shield can add an additional 5% or 15%, to allow you to cast 9th level Cleric spells).
Erastil
Provider – you have a +4 trait bonus to Survival checks to provide sustenance so long as you have a longbow in hand.
Irori
Knowledgeable Fist – by spending a single round within melee range of a target taking no offensive actions and making an appropriate Knowledge check (local for humanoids, arcana for dragons and magical beasts, etc) at DC 15, you can gain mystical insight sufficient to add +1d6 precision damage to a single attack on that studied target in the next round.
Lamashtu
Method in the Madness – when you cast lesser confusion, you can enhance the effect by concentration, expending your move action for the round of casting to require the subject to roll twice for the effect, and performing the action of your choice. When you cast confusion, you can attempt to do the same, expending your move actions to maintain this directed confusion on a single target in the area of effect, or requiring full concentration (no actions at all, other than a 5 ft. step each round) to force all afflicted to roll two times and perform the action of your choice.
Achaekek
Red Mantis Rend – when you score a critical hit with a sawtooth sabre, you tear the jagged edge of your sword in such a way as to inflict 2 additional points of damage. Note that this trait does not give proficiency with the sawtooth sabre.
Alseta
Guardian of the Threshold – when you take the Fighting Defensively or Total Defense action while standing in a doorway or threshold, you add an extra +2 to your armor class, and you gain a +2 trait bonus to the attack rolls of any attacks of opportunity you make.
Brigh
Secret of Making – you gain a +5 trait bonus to craft checks to determine how long it takes to craft material. This bonus is only added to a successful roll, to indicate the amount of crafting completed, and cannot be used to succeed a check that would otherwise have failed.
Kurgess
Will to Win – you have a +1 trait bonus to saves vs. fear, and a +2 trait bonus to any contested skill or ability check.
Naderi
Neriad's Succor - You can hold your breath for the normal 2 x Con rounds, and choose to share that ‘breath’ with another as a standard action via a kiss. You can transfer any number of rounds you have remaining with a single kiss. If the subject is already suffocating / drowning, they gain a temporary reprieve, but automatically fail the DC 10 Con check and begin suffocating / drowning again when your loaned breath expires. You can kiss an unconscious person, and they stop drowning for the duration of your loaned breath, even if they are not capable of consciously holding their breath, but a disabled person will continue to suffer hit point loss, if they are not stabilized. You cannot use this ability if you are under the effects of water breathing, as your lungs are filled with water, not breath.
Sivanah
Spectral Dancers – you gain two additional uses of the Copycat ability from the Trickery Domain. If you do not have access to the Trickery Domain, this trait has no effect.
Zyphus
Tragic Circumstances – whenever a foe rolls a natural 1 to strike you, he instead strikes himself with that attack. This only happens once per day, and affects the first such instance, even if you would prefer to save it for later.
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Inspiration for Norgorber, Pharasma, Sarenrae, Shelyn, Torag and Zon-Kuthon appear to be lacking.
Norgorber, in particular, lends himself to having at least four Faith traits, one for Father Skinsaw, one for the Reaper of Reputation, one for Blackfingers and one for the Gray Master...
I'm trying to come up with Traits more interesting than; Zon-Kuthon faith trait, Macabre Body Art - you get a +2 to Intimidate checks because of your spectacularly gruesome body piercings, scarifications, etc.
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I always thought that Mystic Theurges of Nethys should be able to add their MT levels to both cleric and wiz/sorc levels for the purpose of domain abilities and wiz school/sorc bloodline abilites (and familiars). Maybe a trait could do that, or is that worth more than 1/2 a feat?
Possibly even worth a Feat on each side, actually. Some of those mid and higher level Domain / School powers are pretty sexy. Some, unfortunately, are not. The Domain side is definitely worth at least a Feat, since it's covering two Domains worth of advancement (or possibly even more, in the case of a Cloistered Cleric!). Then again, there are a few Domain / Bloodline / School powers you couldn't pay me to take, so take that with a grain of salt.
Traits being things you are generally assumed to start the game with, I would shy away from making Traits that have anything to do with Prestige Classes, as well.
A Trait that allows one specific class feature to keep advancing along with a class that advances other traits of the core class (such as a Trait that allows Familiar advancement to continue with any PrC level that also that advances spellcasting ability) could be do-able, though, representing your unusually strong link to your Familiar.
Mystic Theurges of Nethys really do seem like an ideal for that priesthood, so I could see some sort of Traits / Feats related to that sort of thing. (Which is sort of where I was going with my Arcane Channeling Trait, allowing a Nethyn to expend a channel energy to enhance a spell, as I'd pictured a Nethyn multi-class caster invoking the power of his god to fuel his arcane magic.) Of course, I have to rewrite Arcane Channeling, to get rid of mention of the PHB Turning chart, since we won't be using that in Pathfinder...
The trait sounds pretty balanced.
Random other faith traits;
Holy cows Set, that's an INCREDIBLE list!
Sey, you should write this stuff up for Wayfinder #2. It would go great in there.