Adopted question that has probably been asked before

[Neriathale]

I want to check this as I am relying on Hero Lab a bit for the nuances in the wording of some traits.

My concept is a kitsune swashbuckler who was adopted by Varisians and trained as a Kapenia dancer.

Varisian tattoo is regional and fits, so that's trait 1

I want some way to make (perform) dance a class skill. Adopted is the obvious way to go, but then what? I can see four human traits that grant perform skills:

Aspiring bard (Taldan)
Operatic (Chelaxian)
Voice of Velvet (Vudrani)
Tatooed Focus (Varisian)

According to HL, the first three are legal with adopted, the fourth (which I want to take) isn't. Looking at the actual sourcebook, Humans of Golarion says "These traits can be taken by anyone of the listed ethnicity", and Inner Sea Races says "Your character must be of the specified ethnicity".

So, what's the logic (if any) here, and is Tatooed Focus legal or not?

[Leathert]

The problem with Tattooed Focus is that Inner Sea Races and Advanced Race Guide additional resources restrict the stuff from them (other than items) to characters who are actually of that race/ethnicity. So Adopted doesn't work on them. At least this is how I have understood the situation from what I have read on these forums. So Tattoed Focus is only legal if you actually have a Varisian human as character.

If this doesn't work, there are various other traits to get perform (dance) as class skill.

Faithful Artist (religion trait, worship Desna, works nicely with Varisians)
Intense Artist (religion, Shelyn)
Talented (social trait, the fluff is really easy to fit to basically anybody)
Varisian Wanderer (region - Varisia trait, really fits the fluff you already told us)

[Andrew L Klein]

Inner Sea Races does not have that restriction for race traits.

Additional Resources, Inner Sea Races wrote:

Note: Alternate racial traits, racial feats, and racial spells are only available for characters of the associated race or human ethnicity. Racial magic items can be purchased and used by any race.

Racial traits and Race traits are different thing. The former is restricted to characters truly of that race and ethnicity, the latter (Where Tattooed Focus falls) is not.

As far as I can tell, there's nothing keeping you from being Adopted into taking the Varisian Tattooed Focus.

[Leathert]

Oh true, I didn't even read through the list and just kinda assumed traits were on it. But it seems they're not mentioned at all?

[Andrew L Klein]

Only that they're all legal except for Elven Arrogance, Human Shadow, Innovative, Isolated, Lost Promise, Tribalistic, and Wright

[Neriathale]

Thanks. That's Hero Lab being incorrect rather than the trait being illegal.

Though Talented does the job without jumping through so many hoops!