Best Traits


Advice


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What do you think are the best traits?

I always take Reactionary for the +2 initiative on every character. Anybody else have good ones they take?


Focused Mind (+2 Concentration)
Indomitable Faith (+1 Will)
Reactionary (+2 Initiative)
Resiliant (+1 Fortitude)


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I wish the +2 Init traits never really existed. It's so boring when everyone is reactionary.

Grand Lodge

Adopted. Tusked. Chain Master.


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I vary my traits based on what kind of character I play.


I'm yet to think of a character where Reactionary isn't the superior mechanical option.

The other trait I usually take makes a social skill I want to use into a class skill.


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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

In terms of raw power I like:

Lessons of Chaldira (reroll 1 failed save/day)
glory of the old (+1 saves vs. Spells/SLA/poison)
Tusked is just stupid good. (I admit I banned taking this in conjunction with adopted in my home game.)

Magical Lineage/Wayang Spellhunter can work well for a spellcaster with a go to spell.

I personally think the wealth gained from Hedge Magician can be quite significant as well.

I also like getting Acrobats/Perception/Diplomacy as a class skill if its not going to be based on my class.


Cheapy wrote:
I wish the +2 Init traits never really existed. It's so boring when everyone is reactionary.

I actually don't see reactionary any more than I see Improved Initiative.

Which is to say, I see it quite a bit.


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The ones that apply to my character's background.

Sheesh, they aren't there for min-maxing.


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I try to resist urge to add reactionary to every character.

Magical Lineage can make wonders to casters focused on particular spell. I'd love to play magic missile-specialist one day... Toppling magic missile as a 1st level... Yummy.

Quote:

The ones that apply to my character's background.

Sheesh, they aren't there for min-maxing.

You know, I understand words you have written but they do not form meanigful sentences together...

Spoiler:
;P

Liberty's Edge

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Ease of Faith (diplomacy as class skill)
Tomb Raider/Eyes and Ears of Abadar (perception as class skill)

For fighters: Defender of the Society
Magical Lineage, Wayang Spell Hunter
Lessons of Chaldira
Reactionary
Glory of Old


Magus: Shocking Grasp
Magical Lineage(reduces Meta Feats by 1 LVL) and in Carrion Crown Inspired by greatness (casts select spell at +1 caster lvl). Allowing you to cast shocking grasp as a lvl 1 spell with a higher caster lvl and meta feat with no hold backs. Pretty powerful! Around lvl's 5-9 when you can use a lvl 1 spell with Intensified and do 6-10D6 and compete with fireball(lvl 3 spell) how can you not be excited?


Magical Knack (+2 caster level up to HD) is my go to trait. It's a HUGE difference for the multiclass hybrids I love ohsomuch.


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Lessons of Chaldira: Save reroll 1/day
Defensive Strategist: You're not flatfooted at the start of a fight.
Accelerated Drinker: Drink as a move action if you have the potion in hand at start of turn.
Blade of Mercy: Do nonlethal damage with any slashing weapon w/o penalty and get +1 damage on it.
Opportunistic Gambler: Morale bonuses last 1d4 extra rounds.
Magical Lineage: Reduce metamagic costs on one spell by 1.
Wisdom in the Flesh: Pick one str, dex, or con (there are none) based skill. It's now a class skill AND wis-based!
Glory of Old: +1 on saves vs. spells, Sp, and Su.
Defender of the Society: +1 AC if you stick to medium/heavy armor.
Honeyed Words: +1 DC on numerous calming effects including Slumber hex...
Magical Knack: +2 CL up to HD. Good for multiclassers or Paladins or Rangers.
Strength of the Sun: +1 on all cha-based checks during daytime.
Hedge Magician: Crafting items costs 5% less.
Armor Expert: For the specific case of having only Light armor prof., this + Mithral breastplate is just as good as having medium armor prof. :p

Any trait that gives perception or UMD as a class skill.

I generally prefer traits that give powerful and unique options that are either hard or impossible to come by with feats. A lot of the best traits other than the class skill ones are religion traits...


Lesseee... my witch took "fast talker" since he's the party face and needed a bluff boost.

My druid took "elven reflexes" for the +2 to initiative.

I can't say I've built enough PF characters yet to have any sense of how they all work in game. But we don't ban any of them.

Yet, anyway.


Reactionary
Tomb raider/eyes and ears of the city (abadar)
tusked
.... Whatever gives me a class skill I need/want, our is good for the individual build.


Sylvanite wrote:
Magical Knack (+2 caster level up to HD) is my go to trait. It's a HUGE difference for the multiclass hybrids I love ohsomuch.

It is my favorite trait when I build a paladin or ranger. I also like Flame of the Dawnflower.


For my monk, I used Anatomist and Sacred Touch.

Shadow Lodge

i think the one that lets you drink as a move action is broken. man if you use consumables regularly then that is over powered.


I just picked my first two for a character: Highlander and Brigand.


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TheSideKick wrote:
i think the one that lets you drink as a move action is broken. man if you use consumables regularly then that is over powered.

It would be, if potions weren't underpowered and overpriced. But they are, so all the trait does is give a reason to actually buy potions.

Silver Crusade

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For my archer bard, I took Hunter's Eye. It's an Andoran faction trait in PFS that gives long bow proficiency and eliminates the range penalty for the first range increment.

While Reactionary and its equivalents are good for certain character types, I see way too many people taking that and Improved Initiative for characters that don't need to go first. High initiative is most important for spellcasters with area spells, so they can buff the group or bomb the enemies before everyone starts getting mixed together. Taking init boosters with a non-spellcasting class just gets in the way of your party's spellcasters. Besides, Reactionary is a combat trait, so melee characters especially have other options in that category that they should probably take instead.

That said, Reactionary, Focused Mind, and Magical Lineage seem to be my go to traits for spellcasters.

But my barbarian doesn't have any extra init bonus. Instead, I just gave him diplomacy as a class skill from a Shadow Lodge trait whose name I don't remember right now.


Rogues, especially archer rogues (if any still exist...) also heavily value going first.

But yes, I agree. For everyone else, it's kind of a waste. You want to hold back till the caster opens up the combat with an area spell, and while getting that first turn (even if only to delay) so that you're no longer flatfooted may be a concern for some, Defensive Strategist can cover that for you 100% reliably.


Where is the "Hunter's Eye" trait found? A quick search at the SRD returns only a spell by that name.


Natural Born leader. If you ever plan on taking the Leadership feat.

Silver Crusade

Yeah, there are so few rogues around here that I forgot that flatfooted = free sneak attack. So init is important for them, too. But I have a friend who took Reactionary and Improved Init with a fighter. It just means he's the first one to get in the enemies's faces and get the snot beat out of him. And he sometimes delays to let the spellcasters get their area stuff off, anyway. There's just no point in bothering with high init as a non-rogue melee type.

Hunter's Eye is in the Guide to Organized Play. It's an Andoran faction trait, so Pathfinder Society only.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16

I think both Reactionary and the one that makes UMD a class skill AND gives +2 to it are the most broadly recommended.

==Aelryinth


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my list of generally useful traits

Indomitable Faith. +1 to will saves
Observant; Perception is a class skill with a +1 trait bonus
Focused Mind; concentration bonuses are hard to get
Resilient; +1 to fort saves
Reactionary; +2 to initiative gives you a higher chance of going before the enemy.
River Rat; a must have for knifemaster builds
Mizu Ki Hikari Rebel; a must have for unarmed monks
Ease of Faith; Diplomacy bonus
Magical Knack; a must have for paladins and rangers as well as for multiclass casters
Fast Drinker; a reason to use those crappy potions
Armor Expert, Wear a mithril breastplate without a need for proficiency
Dangerously curious, UMD bonuses.

other notable mentions
that one trait that gives you proficiency with a single tian weapon of your choice. agile wakazashi is good for a duelist.
any trait that gives acrobatics as a class skill
the pre errata version of heirloom weapon that gave a masterwork weapon that offered free proficiency and +1 to hit with that weapon. the benefits looked really good on paper to most people, which lead to an unneccessary nerf. the trait only applied it's advantages with one specific weapon that could be lost, stolen, sundered or rendered irrelevent by the circumstances.

Grand Lodge

If we are talking campaign traits, Finding Haleen is awesome. Also, strength of the sun(+1 to all charisma based checks) is great for charisma based casters.


Rune wrote:
Where is the "Hunter's Eye" trait found? A quick search at the SRD returns only a spell by that name.

It's in the free download that tells about the PFS factions.


I prefer the traits that add a class skill. As well Magical Knack is almost required if you plan to multiclass with any sort of casting.


I've always been partial to Armor Expert.

Grand Lodge

Adopted + Infernal Bastard, or a number of the traits introduced in blood of fiends, like chain master.


I haven't seen anyone mention wanderlust (+10 base land speed) or sword scion (+1 to attack with longswords)


Fate's Favored- a near must have if you have luck bonuses. It increases any luck bonus by 1.

Perfect for half-orcs, archaologist bards, or just anyone that wants the jingasa of the fortunate soldier to give a bit more omph.


In any character that doesn't have perception as a class skill, it's hard to beat the value of Eyes and Ears of the City. Others are useful for certain types of builds, but Reactionary is going to help everyone.


Create Mr. Pitt wrote:
In any character that doesn't have perception as a class skill, it's hard to beat the value of Eyes and Ears of the City. Others are useful for certain types of builds, but Reactionary is going to help everyone.

Well, that is a religioun trait for abadar. But similar traits, such as Seeker from Ultimate Campaign do the same thing, and the general point that you are getting +4 to perception is still very, very valid.


Fate's Favored- a near must have if you have luck bonuses. It increases any luck bonus by 1.

This is crazy good if you go with the Half-Orc alternative racial Sacred Tattoo.

Sacred Tattoo Many half-orcs decorate themselves with tattoos, piercings, and ritual scarification, which they consider sacred markings. Half-orcs with this racial trait gain a +1 luck bonus on all saving throws. This racial trait replaces orc ferocity.

Ends up changing that +1 bonus to all your half-orc's saves from a +1 to a +2.

The Exchange

Two for my sorcerer:

Illuminator - I think it's the only one that gives +2 to all diplomacy checks and makes it a class skill.

Irrepressible - CHA for WIS on Compulsion and Charm Will saves, which is a +7 (+5 vs. -2) bonus to those saves at level 1 for him.

Silver Crusade

Someone should have already linked to Guide to Pathfinder Traits

Silver Crusade

Nick Brown 210 wrote:
I haven't seen anyone mention wanderlust (+10 base land speed) or sword scion (+1 to attack with longswords)

Wanderlust sounded too good to be true, so I looked it up. It doesn't do what you seem to think it does. It only affects your overland speed, which is miles per hour or day. See the "Additional Rules" chapter of the Core Rulebook. So it doesn't affect your tactical speed during combat.

Magda Luckbender wrote:
Someone should have already linked to Guide to Pathfinder Traits

Well, this thread is 2 years old, which is older than that guide.


bred for war - +1 to all maneuvers. amazing for druid, monk or lore warden builds. (or oracle of battle ...)
wisdom in a flesh - for a cleric to have stealth or acrobatics...
glory of old - for a cleric dwarf tank is just amazing.
magical lineage - is banned in our game cause of shocking grasp abuse
fate's favorite - amaizng for battle oracles and clerics. (prayer and divine favor users)
blades of mercy - best thug/scout trait in the game.
anything that add diplomacy/stealth/use magic device / acrobatics.


Fromper wrote:


Wanderlust sounded too good to be true, so I looked it up. It doesn't do what you seem to think it does. It only affects your overland speed, which is miles per hour or day. See the "Additional Rules" chapter of the Core Rulebook. So it doesn't affect your tactical speed during combat.

It's still good. Don't want to slow the group down when travelling just because of your short legs? Wanderlust is your friend.

Sovereign Court

Clever Wordplay. Boom, the wizard now became a party face adding his INT to diplo.

Silver Crusade

Umbranus wrote:
Fromper wrote:


Wanderlust sounded too good to be true, so I looked it up. It doesn't do what you seem to think it does. It only affects your overland speed, which is miles per hour or day. See the "Additional Rules" chapter of the Core Rulebook. So it doesn't affect your tactical speed during combat.
It's still good. Don't want to slow the group down when travelling just because of your short legs? Wanderlust is your friend.

Or you could just buy a pony and save the trait slot for something more important.

In making a tiefling character, I recently noticed the Suicidal trait, which is a way for tanks to force an enemy to attack you instead of your adjacent ally (even if you're not in reach of the enemy, oddly enough). Only works for tieflings, but still awesome for the tiefling tank fighter I'm building.

Generally, I'd say Reactionary and Focused Mind are my fall back trait options when I don't have anything better to take. But my favorites tend to be creative traits that do stuff you wouldn't be able to do otherwise, like that Suicidal trait.

Traits that make something a class skill with +1 bonus are generally good, especially for Perception, Sense Motive, social skills, and certain physical skills. For instance, I added Stealth as a class skill for my druid who had a racial bonus to it, and all of a sudden I've got a scout with +9 stealth at level 1 in a class you wouldn't expect.


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How about Trap Finder? It's nearly a full class feature as a trait.


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I just updated this guide.

Silver Crusade

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Corvino wrote:
How about Trap Finder? It's nearly a full class feature as a trait.

Nice one.

But it's worth noting that it's a campaign trait, so it's not intended to be generically legal in all campaigns. This means it's not legal in Pathfinder Society, for those who play that.

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