Okay, so I have an idea for a campaign that revolves around a city watch, detectives and lawyers; ala CSI, Criminal Minds, Law and Order, Scandal and Sherlock Holmes. I know this campaign will work and I've hit upon the idea of using campaign traits to represent the PC's specialities and roles they play on the team.
The issue I'm having is that I've never really created traits before, so trying to balance them against one another without them all seeming the same is a bit tricky. I've come up with this list of potential roles and traits that the PCs could fit into. I'm not concerned with the balance they have against published traits as I am against one another. Do they look reasonable? Are there and that stand out as being very powerful or very weak compared to the other traits? Any potentials roles that I could have missed or suggests how to vary things a bit more?
Thanks in advance!
Appraiser: A forensic investigator who deals in money, finances and material
Benefits: You earn a +1 trait bonus on Appraise checks, as well as Linguistics & Perception checks to detect forgeries. Choose one as these as a class skill.
Beat Cop: Rugged and off the streets, these are the Watchmen who rose up through the ranks and are a cut above the rest.
Benefits: Choose two of the followings skills: Intimidate, Knowledge (Local), Perception or Sense Motive. You gain +1 on both of these skills and one of them becomes a class skill.
Coroner: Evidence is their currency, be it living, dead, undead or material.
Benefit: You gain +1 to Heal and Knowledge (nature). Choose one of these as a class skill.
Counterspell: Arcane or Divine, magic can be devastating to crime scenes - until the specialists arrive.
Benefits: You gain a +2 trait bonus to attacks of opportunity against targets casting spells and to Spellcraft checks to counter spell. Choose Knowledge (Arcane), Knowledge (Divine) or Knowledge (Psionics) as a class skill.
Detective: The street canvassers who track down the evidence.
Benefits: You gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy when used to gather information, Knowledge (local), and Sense Motive. Choose one as these as a class skill. Criminals have a +1 bonus on any roll to learn about you, as your work precedes you.
Infiltrator: Busts up the criminal circuit by getting right into the middle of it.
Benefits: You gain a +2 trait bonus on Bluff and Disguise against members of the criminal underworld and choose one of these as a class skill
Lawyer: Those who know how to use evidence and the law to keep criminals off the streets.
Benefits: You gain +2 to all Diplomacy, Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility) and Sense Motive while researching for or during a trial.
Public Relations: The face of the team, who hands out official statements and information.
Benefits: You gain +3 to all Bluff, Diplomacy or Knowledge (local) when speaking to someone who is not part of a law enforcement agency and has not been committed a crime.
Researcher: The master of the esoteric and uncommon.
Benefits: Choose and one Knowledge skill. That skill and Linguistics become class skills are class skills.
Sniper: Diffuses situations by taking out hostiles at range from the towers.
Benefits: Choose two of the following: Climb, Stealth or Perception. Both of those skills are class skills.
Special Unit: The cavalry, both the highly skilled and the large & in charge, making dangerous situations safer for their teammates.
Benefits: You gain +1 to Acrobatics and Use Magic Device. Choose one of these as a class skill.
Spy: Lives off of three things - shadows, thievery and paranoia fuel.
Benefits: You gain +1 to Stealth and Slight of Hand. Choose one of these as a class skill.
Tariff Officer: Money is the game that these guys play, mostly working in and around the docks.
Benefits: Choose Appraise, Knowledge (geography), or Swim as a class skill and learn to speak and read one additional language from your list of racial languages.
Tracker: You can run, but you can’t hide from him and his tracking squad of men and beasts.
Benefits: You gain a +1 trait bonus to Diplomacy check to gather information, Handle Animal and Survival checks to track an individual. Choose on of these skills as a class skill.