Trait
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game introduced the concept of character traits as extra features that add a little depth and flavor to characters. Existing character traits come in several flavors: Basic (separated into Combat, Faith, Magic, and Social), Campaign, Racial, Regional, and Religion. Presented below are two other categories for the psionic campaign: Psionic traits and Dream traits. Psionic traits are separate from Magic traits, but should a Psionic trait and Magic trait have the same effect, the effects do not stack. Dream traits are campaign traits recommended for use in campaigns that focus on dreams or dreaming.
Akashic Traits[edit]
Akashic Customization: (Source: Akashic Staples) You have a strong and often confounding degree of control over the form of your veils. You gain a + 4 trait bonus on Disguise checks to disguise the presence and function of your veils, and Disguise is always a class skill for you.
Apprentice Veilweaver: (Source: Akashic Staples) Add +2 to your veilweaving level, to a maximum of your hit dice. This grants you no other benefits related to veilweaving, such as veils shaped, chakra binds, essence, or essence capacity.
Fortified Veils: (Source: Akashic Staples) Treat your veilweaving level as 2 higher when determining the hardness and the amount of damage required to sunder one of your veils and when a dispel attempt is made against them.
Minor Veil Shaper: (Source: Akashic Staples) You gain the ability to shape 1 minor veil each day, using your level as your veilweaving level and your Wisdom as your veilweaving modifier. If you later gain the ability to shape minor veils from another source, increase the number you may shape by 1. This trait cannot allow you to shape more than 4 minor veils each day; if it would do so, you may retrain it at no cost automatically when this condition is met.
Natural Essence: (Source: Akashic Staples) You gain 1 point of essence.
Student of Veils: (Source: Akashic Staples) You gain a +2 trait bonus to Knowledge (arcana) checks made to identify veils and their effects, and Knowledge (arcana) is always a class skill for you.
Veil Breaker: (Source: Akashic Staples) Whenever you suppress another creature's veil by sundering or dispelling it, the number of rounds it is suppressed is increased by 50% (minimum 1 additional round).
Combat Traits[edit]
Combat Compatriot: (Source: Zodiac) You are skilled at fighting as part of a group.Whenever you and an ally are adjacent to the same opponent, you gain a +1 trait bonus on all damage rolls made against that opponent.
Combat Training: You learn one 1st-level maneuver from a discipline of your choice. If you are not a member of an initiating class, you can ready this maneuver by spending ten minutes practicing it, and can recover it by taking a standard action to focus. Your initiation modifier for this maneuver is the key ability of its discipline’s associated skill (for example, a discipline with Acrobatics as its associated skill would make Dexterity your initiation modifier), and your initiator level for this maneuver is 1. If you can already initiate other maneuvers or later gain the ability to, the maneuver granted by this trait is added to your list of maneuvers known, and you can recover it as normal for your class. You cannot exchange this maneuver for another maneuver as you level up, nor does it add its discipline to your list of available disciplines.
Contest of Blades: When clinching blades with an enemy, your countenance is unnerving to some. You gain a +1 trait bonus on initiative checks. Once per day, in the surprise round of combat you may perform an intimidate check to demoralize vs a flat-footed opponent as a free action.
Forgesoul Armor: (Source: Akasha Reshaped: Psionic Essence) You have learned an ancient forgeborn secret for strengthening your astral suit. Choose a single type of astral suit when you take this trait. When wearing that astral suit, you gain 1 additional customization point.
Mischievous Blade: Your mind blade shares your devious streak. You gain a +2 trait bonus on combat maneuver checks while performing a dirty trick with your mind blade or equivalent melee-ranged ability (i.e. mindclaws, etc).
Practiced Initiator: Pick an initiating class—your initiator level in that class gains a +2 trait bonus as long as this bonus does not raise your initiator level above your current Hit Dice.
Trickshot Soul: You are particularly gifted with using your mind blade at range. +1 trait bonus to ranged attack rolls using throw mind blade or equivalent ability (i.e. mind bolt, etc). You gain the trick shot talent and can manifest this power with a manifester level of 1. If you have manifester levels from a psionic class, you may instead use the manifester level from that class.
Dream Traits[edit]
These traits are associated with the realm of dreams. Not all games will interact with this eerie domain, and the number of traits here is correspondingly few.
Dream Seared: Some powerful psychic phenomenon has damaged your dream circle, and although it has since recovered, it has taken on a slightly warped and toughened form. You gain a +1 trait bonus on all saves against effects that affect your sleeping mind (any spell, power, or ability that requires you to be sleeping).
Dreamless Sleep: You rarely seem to dream at all, and your dreams have little effect on your waking life. You gain a +1 trait bonus on saves against dream-related effects whether awake or asleep. However, any effects of this nature you use take a -1 to their DC to resist.
Lucid Dreaming: You have the ability to recall dreams vividly, and can always recall things you may have done in your sleep. In addition, you are aware of when you are dreaming and have access to your power point pool and powers known while in the dream. When you awaken, any power points spent while dreaming are depleted from your power point reserve.
Equipment Traits[edit]
Ardent Armaments: (Source: Zodiac) Your weapons and armor appreciate the care you take with them and are loathe to abandon you.You gain a +1 trait bonus to your CMD against disarm and sunder attempts while wielding a weapon-like veil or a constellation’s weapon form.
Exemplar Traits[edit]
Master of Metafocus (Source: Akasha Reshaped: Psionic Essence)
Exemplar Type: Psionic Exemplar
Your focused mind is a jade palace, unshakable and impenetrable. Twice per day when using an ability which requires you to expend your psionic focus, you may use it without expending your focus. For each other psionic trait you have, you can use this trait’s benefit an additional time each day.
One Born of Essence (Source:Akashic Staples)
Exemplar Type: Akashic Exemplar
Once per day as part of reinvesting your essence, choose a single one of your essence receptacles. For the next minute, that essence receptacle is treated as if it were invested with an additional point of essence. This effect can bypass your normal essence capacity. You gain an addittonal use of this ability each day for every two other akashic traits you have. This ability does not stack with itself, but multiple uses can be used at the same time to affect different veils.
Additionally, the Additional Traits feat counts as an [akashic] feat for you if you use it to only select [akashic] traits.
Faith Traits[edit]
Requirements: Channel energy ability.
Your god blessed you with a power different from others. Choose one channeling feat (a feat that modifies the channel energy power) that your deity would grant and you meet the prerequisites for. You gain this as a bonus feat, but you only can channel energy using your chosen feat, and cannot channel energy normally.
Magic Traits[edit]
Apprentice Veilweaver: You were raised amid veilweavers, taught the arts and sciences of akasha from a young age, allowing you to better manipulate their powers despite your choice of profession.
Benefit: Add +2 to your veilweaving level, to a maximum of your hit dice. This grants you no other benefits related to veilweaving, such as veils shaped, chakra binds, essence, or essence capacity.
Flexible Forms: (Source: Zodiac) You have learned the secrets of manipulating akashic weaponry, and can reforge such weapons into new and unique shapes.Choose one weapon-like veil or constellation weapon form that grants a specific weapon (such as the cestus granted by the Lion’s weapon form). When shaping or manifesting that weapon, you may instead manifest it as one other weapon of the same type (light, one-handed, two-handed, or ranged) with which you are proficient, chosen when you first gain this trait. If the veil or constellation normally allows you to shape or manifest a pair of weapons, you may choose for one or both weapons to take the alternate form granted by this trait each time you shape or manifest them.
Psionic Race Traits[edit]
Psionic races, like conventional ones, have their traits. Like other racial traits they are available only to members of that race.
Blue Race Traits[edit]
Only blues may select these racial traits.
Playing Dumb: You have learned to hide your true worth to protect yourself. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Bluff checks to play down your value or threat and to appear as less then you are.
Psionic Lineage: Pick one power when you pick this trait. Metapsionic feats applied to that power cost 1 pp less.
Dromite Race Traits[edit]
Only dromites may select these racial traits.
Psychoenergetic Talent: Your natural ability to create rays of energy is heightened, allowing you to fire a weakened version of energy ray as a standard action as long as you maintain psionic focus. This energy ray instead deals 1d3 points of damage of the energy type of your caste. Your manifester level for this ability is always 1.
Sensitive Nose: You gain a +1 trait bonus on your Perception or Survival checks related to smell. However, you also take a -1 penalty on saves that involve resisting smells, such as stench.
Duergar Race Traits[edit]
Only duergar may select these racial traits.
Psychic Buffer: Years of living near creatures that attack your mind has sharpened your defenses; you are skilled at repelling mental assaults, and gain a +1 trait bonus to Will saves against Telepathy powers.
Sense Dissonance: Your psionic abilities help you tell if a person is under the psychic control of another, by sensing psionic dissonance around them. You gain a +2 trait bonus to Sense Motive for the “sense enchantment” and “hunch” functions.
Elan Race Traits[edit]
Only elans may select these racial traits.
Fight Through the Pain: You can tap into the psionic energy that permeates your body to keep going despite certain injuries. You gain a +2 bonus to Autohypnosis checks in order to resist caltrop wounds, stabilize yourself, or resist the secondary effect of poisons.
Memories: You have fleeting memories of your past life before becoming what you now are. Your Charisma-based penalty does not apply against individuals you knew prior to becoming an elan.
Half-Giant Race Traits[edit]
Only half-giants may select these racial traits.
Impressive Physique: Your size and stature are imposing. Your natural physique gives you a +2 trait bonus to Intimidate checks due to your size.
Hot-Foot: Your Fire-based powers give your enemies a “hot-foot”. Any creature that takes damage from a fire-based power you manifest takes 1 point of fire damage on their next turn.
Maenad Race Traits[edit]
Only maenads may select these racial traits.
Inner Peace: You have studied philosophy and theology as a way to handle the mental turmoil of your race. Knowledge (Religion) and Knowledge (Psionics) are both class skills for you. If either or both are already class skills, you gain a +1 trait bonus to them.
Surge Protection: You are more skilled at resisting psychic enervation, and take 1 less HP or PP damage whenever you enervate (to a minimum of 1).
Ophiduan Race Traits[edit]
Only ophiduans may select these racial traits.
Beguiling Nature: Your telepathic abilities are even more entrancing than normal. You gain a +1 trait bonus to all Charisma-based checks against creatures affected by one of your Telepathy powers.
Infiltrator: You have had extensive dealings with other humanoid races, and have learned to mimic their mannerisms and body language to ease their fears of your kind. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Bluff and Diplomacy checks against non-ophiduan humanoids, and Sense Motive is always a class skill for you.
Xeph Race Traits[edit]
Only xephs may select these racial traits.
Fancy Footwork: In any round in which you employ your burst ability, you gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC.
Resist Dampening: Your powers and other psychic abilities are not easily dampened. You gain a +1 trait bonus to manifester level checks to bypass power resistance. If you can create a mind blade, you gain a +2 trait bonus to create it while inside a null psionics field.
Psionic Traits[edit]
These traits are associated with the powers of the mind. Unlike psionic feats, psionic traits can be taken by any character, regardless of whether or not they have the psionic subtype. If a trait grants a talent or psi-like ability, a non-psionic character will gain that subtype when they take the trait.
Clairsentient Talent: If you have psionic focus, you can be treated as having detect psionics active, but only effective in the space you occupy. This is a psi-like ability, and you must concentrate on it for a round to glean any more meaningful information than a ‘hunch’. This talent grants no benefit if you do not have the ability to gain psionic focus.
Mental Discipline: You have had some basic training in mental control. Autohypnosis is always considered a class skill for you, and you get a +1 trait bonus to Autohypnosis checks.
Metacreative Talent: While you maintain psionic focus you can manifest shards of crystal as a swift action that last for one round. These blades can be used as thrown weapons if you use them immediately (you are proficient in their use; 1d2 slashing damage, 20/x2 crit, range increment 10 feet). This talent grants no benefit if you do not have the ability to gain psionic focus.
Mind Blade Dancer: Your graceful combat style enlivens your mind blade to illumination. Perform (dance) becomes a class skill if it is not already. You gain the crystal light talent and can manifest this power with a manifester level of 1. If you have manifester levels from a psionic class, you may instead use the manifester level from that class. Your mind blade or equivalent ability (i.e. mind bolt, etc) is considered a crystal object for the purpose of this talent.
Natural Blade: You’ve learned to continue some of your soulknife training even when exploring different trades. You add +2 trait bonus to your soulknife level to determine the strength of your mind blade enhancement and access to blade skills as if your soulknife level were two higher (this does not improve blade skill effectiveness, only your ability to meet prerequisites). Your effective mind blade level cannot exceed your character level. The character must have the enhanced mind blade class feature (or its equivalent) to actually receive the magical enhancement bonus to the mind blade.
Perceptive Talent: While maintaining psionic focus you are more aware on a subliminal level of the thoughts and intentions of those around you. You gain a +1 trait bonus on initiative and on Sense Motive checks while you are psionically focused. This talent grants no benefit if you do not have the ability to gain psionic focus.
Personalized Trick: You’ve got an innate knack for mimicking a weapon enhancement not normally found in mind blades. Choose a magical weapon (or armor/shield) property that is not listed as available with the mind blade enhancement class feature. You may select that property when choosing abilities for Enhanced Mind Blade (or its equivalent). Weapon properties such as bane that have a variable property to them must specify that variable when selecting this trait; this choice is permanent.
Psigifted: You have an affinity for one particular power chosen from ones that you know, and your effective manifester level for that psionic power increases by 1. Once this power is selected it cannot be changed.
Psionic Item Familiarity: You are very familiar with psionic and magic items. Use Magic Device is now a class skill for you, and you gain a +1 trait bonus to Use Magic Device checks. This trait may not be stacked with the Dangerously Curious trait.
Psionic Knack: You are naturally psionically gifted, even if you dabble in other studies. Pick a class with a manifester level when you gain this trait—your manifester level in that class gains a +2 trait bonus as long as this bonus doesn’t raise your manifester level above your current Hit Dice. You must have a level in the class chosen to gain this benefit.
Psionic Monster Familiarity: You’ve either seen or read about a great number of psionic creatures. You gain a +2 trait bonus to Knowledge (Psionics) checks to identify psionic creatures and their abilities.
Psionic Power Focus: Pick a first level power you know with an ability you can use while psionically focused. You are always treated as being psionically focused for this purpose, even if you are not.
Psionic Theory: You have studied psionics deeply, gaining a +2 trait bonus to Spellcraft checks when analyzing psionic powers or items.
Psychokinetic Talent: You can expend your psionic focus as a swift action to manifest far hand as a psi-like ability. It has a duration of one round, a range of ten feet, and allows you to move a maximum weight of 1 lb. If you have psionic power points, you may expend one to extend the duration of this psi-like ability by one round. This talent grants no benefit if you do not have the ability to gain psionic focus.
Psychoportive Talent: You can expend your psionic focus as an immediate action to make a five-foot step. You may do this even if you have already moved in the round in question, although not if you have already taken a five-foot step, and doing so does not prevent further movement in this round. This talent grants no benefit if you do not have the ability to gain psionic focus.
Telepathic Talent: You can expend your psionic focus to gain a +2 trait bonus to your saves against mind-affecting powers and psi-like abilities. This talent grants no benefit if you do not have the ability to gain psionic focus.
Trained Autohypnotist: (Source: Akasha Reshaped: Psionic Essence) Through special training, you learn the secrets of autohypnosis. You gain Autohypnosis as a class skill. You may use either Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma for Autohypnosis, chosen when you gain this trait.
Race Traits[edit]
Bakeneko (Race, Catfolk): You gain the beastblood and shapechanger subtypes. In addition, you gain the ability to shapeshift between two forms—your natural form becomes a single specific feline of any size between your natural size and Tiny; while in this form you gain the benefits of the beast shape I spell (except that you do not gain any of the ability score increases normally associated with the spell, and you may also choose to have your natural form be a Tiny feline), though they must take the same form each time. If you choose to become a Tiny feline, you gain a size bonus on attack rolls and armor class as though you were Small, though you gain all the other benefits and drawbacks of being Tiny sized. Unlike normal polymorph effects, you do not lose any extraordinary or supernatural abilities that rely on your natural form without this ability while under this effect. However, you gain no natural weapons, other than a bite attack that deals damage as appropriate for your new size. This does not stack with any existing bite attacks you may have. Antimagic fields and effects that return you to your natural form revert you to your cat form, and effects that pierce through magical disguises (such as true seeing) reveal your true form. In addition, as a standard action, you may assume the appearance of a specific single human form of the same sex. In this form, you lose all benefits of the beast shape I effect granted by your natural form. Because of telltale catlike features (such as a poorly concealed tail or sharp fangs), you only gain a +5 bonus on Disguise checks to appear fully human when in your human form. However, you gain a +20 bonus on Disguise checks to appear as a normal cat when in your natural form, and you do not take the normal penalty for disguising as a smaller creature when doing so. You can speak and cast spells in your cat form, and have access to any material and focus components that are melded to your form when you transform back into a cat (though expending them will cause them to be used when you transform into a human again). Transforming into a human otherwise functions as alter self, except your ability scores do not change. This trait has no effect if you have another ability that alters your natural shape by mimicking the effects of a spell as an extraordinary effect, beyond granting you the beastblood subtype.
Bestow Judgment (Race)
Prerequisites: Duskwalker.
You mete out Purgatory’s justice on sinners. Once per day, you treat your level as 2 higher when using your judgment (or other office ability).
Blood of the Elements (Race)
Prerequisites: Must be a native outsider (such as ifrit, undine, ethumion, etc)
Benefits: Your veils that deal or heal damage deal or heal +1 more per point of essence invested in them, so long as their descriptor matches your elemental ancestry (fire for ifrits, darkness for judow, healing for ethumions, etc)
Blood Quickening (Race, Werewolf): You gain a +1 trait bonus on Survival checks, and Survival is a class skill for you. In addition, at night, you can automatically determine if living creatures that you can smell within 15 feet of you that you are below their maximum hit points. This does not allow you to pinpoint such creatures (though you can identify which is which if you can otherwise perceive them). When under the light of a full moon, you also gain the supernatural ability to automatically determine the state of each creature you can smell within 15 feet of you, as if by the deathwatch spell.
Celestial Essence (Race, Huli Jing): You can draw essence from the light of the sun and moon, instead of (or in addition to) that of other living beings. By spending 1 hour in direct sunlight or moonlight, you generate a point of temporary essence for your Essence of the Succubus veil, as if you had drained a creature. You can only generate 1 point of essence per day in this way. You do not need to eat or drink, nor do you age, as long as you get at least 1 hour of sunlight or moonlight each day.
Mixed Blood (Race, any): Either through lineage, accident, or deliberate intent, you have unlocked latent power in your blood. Choose one of the creature types or subtypes listed on Table 2-1: Mixed Blood Options. You gain the benefits listed for your selection. This trait represents a nonstandard heritage, and unlike other race traits, you can take this trait regardless of your race, and can even take it multiple times (allowing you to take a different race trait alongside it), representing a particularly unique power. You do not recalculate your Hit Dice, skill points, or saving throws, even if you gain a subtype that normally calls for it. Unless noted in the benefit, you do not count as the chosen race for prerequisites.
| Heritage | Subtype Gained | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Aberration | Aberrant | +1 trait bonus on saves against mind-affecting effects |
| Air | Air | Increase maneuverability of all fly speeds you have or gain by one step |
| Chaotic | Chaotic | +2 trait bonus on saves against effects with the lawful descriptor |
| Cold | Cold* | Gain cold resistance 10. You take 50% more fire damage (up to a maximum of 10 extra points of fire damage). If you are immune to fire damage, you still take up to 5 points of fire damage, after which your immunity applies. |
| Construct | Gearblood | +1 bonus on saves against disease and poison effects. |
| Dragon | Drakeblood | +2 trait bonus on saves against paralysis and sleep effects |
| Dwarf | Dwarf | +1 trait bonus to your CMD when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground. Choose a race that normally possesses the dwarf subtype, such as dwarves or duergar—you can choose favored class options specific to that race (and only that race, even if that race normally can choose other races’ favored class options) |
| Earth | Earth | Increase your natural armor bonus to your AC by +1 |
| Elf | Elf | +1 trait bonus on Perception checks. Choose a race that normally possesses the elf subtype, such as elves or drow—you can choose favored class options specific to that race (and only that race, even if that race normally can choose other races’ favored class options) |
| Evil | Evil | +2 trait bonus on saves against effects with the good descriptor |
| Fey | Feyblood | +2 trait bonus on saves against compulsion effects |
| Fire | Fire* | Gain fire resistance 10. You take 50% more cold damage (up to a maximum of 10 extra points of fire damage). If you are immune to cold damage, you still take up to 5 points of cold damage, after which your immunity applies |
| Giant | Giant | You gain low-light vision. If you already had low-light vision or later gain it from another effect, you gain a +1 trait bonus on Perception checks. Despite having the giant subtype, you do not necessarily have racial Hit Dice, and can still substitute your first Hit Die for a class level, like normal creatures of your type |
| Gnome | Gnome | +1 trait bonus on Craft checks. Choose a race that normally possesses the gnome subtype, such as gnomes or svirfneblin—you can choose favored class options specific to that race (and only that race, even if that race normally can choose other races’ favored class options) |
| Goblinoid | Goblinoid | +1 trait bonus on Stealth checks. Choose a race that normally possesses the goblinoid subtype, such as goblins or hobgoblins—you can choose favored class options specific to that race (and only that race, even if that race normally can choose other races’ favored class options) |
| Good | Good | +2 trait bonus on saves against effects with the evil descriptor |
| Halfling | Halfling | +1 trait bonus on Acrobatics checks. Choose a race that normally possesses the halfling subtype, such as halflings or kestrel—you can choose favored class options specific to that race (and only that race, even if that race normally can choose other races’ favored class options) |
| Human | Human | +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (Local) checks. Choose a race that normally possesses the human subtype, such as humans or maenads—you can choose favored class options specific to that race (and only that race, even if that race normally can choose other races’ favored class options) |
| Lawful | Lawful | +2 trait bonus on saves against effects with the Chaos descriptor |
| Magical Beast | Beastblood | +2 trait bonus on survival checks. Survival is always a class skill. |
| Monstrous Humanoid | Crossblood | Increase your natural armor bonus to your AC by +! |
| Orc | Orc | +1 trait bonus on Intimidate checks. Choose a race that normally possesses the orc subtype, such as orcs or half-orcs—you can choose favored class options specific to that race (and only that race, even if that race normally can choose other races’ favored class options) |
| Ooze | Slimeblood | Any time you would take extra damage from a critical hit or sneak attack, you have a 10% chance of negating the extra damage. This stacks with fortification or similar effects, increasing the negation chance of those effects by 10%. |
| Outsider | Outsider (Native) | Your type changes to outsider and you gain the native subtype in addition to any other subtypes you possess. |
| Plant | Earthblood | You gain low-light vision. In addition, you do not need food to survive, provided you spend at least 1 hour a day in sunlight |
| Reptilian | Reptilian | +1 bonus on saves against disease and poison effects. Choose a race that normally possesses the reptilian subtype, such as lizardfolk or ophiduans—you can choose favored class options specific to that race (and only that race, even if that race normally can choose other races’ favored class options |
| Undead | Graveblood | You gain negative energy resistance 5. |
| Water | Water | You can breathe underwater. You do not gain a swim speed. |
* you are treated as if you had this subtype for the purposes of requirements and prerequisites
Regional Traits[edit]
Unorthodox Method (Regional, Any): You trade one of your class’ available disciplines for a different discipline of your choice. You gain the new discipline’s skill as a class skill.
Social Traits[edit]
Agile Dancer: You can make Perform (dance) checks in place of Acrobatics checks, and can use the higher of your Dexterity or Charisma modifiers when making Perform (dance) checks.
Pact Maker: (Source: Zodiac) Your time spent dealing with the manifest forms of the constellations or other extra-planar powers has sharpened your negotiation skills and broadened your understanding of existence.You gain a +1 trait bonus to Diplomacy and Knowledge (planes) checks. In addition, Diplomacy and Knowledge (planes) are always class skills for you.
Regal Bearing: (Source: Fisherking) You carry yourself with the mein of a king or queen, and people of note take notice. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks made to influence nobles, courtiers, or their servants. One of these skills (your choice) is always a class skill for you.
Undead Trainer: (Source: Pale Theologian, Lord of Life and Death) You gain Handle Undead as a class skill and a +1 trait bonus to Handle Undead checks
