Traits
Traits are permanent, passive bonuses selected at character creation that reflect a character's background, upbringing, and early experiences. They function like half-feats — each provides a small but meaningful mechanical benefit with no action cost and no prerequisites. Once chosen, traits do not change (barring rare story-driven exceptions).
How Many Traits
Every character selects 2 traits at 1st level. Some campaigns grant a 3rd trait — always a campaign trait tied to that specific Adventure Path or story. The GM decides whether campaign traits are available.
Trait Categories
Every trait belongs to one category. The category determines eligibility requirements and, in some cases, how many of that category you can take.
| Category | What It Represents | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Basic — Combat | Training and physical conditioning before adventuring; attack, defense, and battlefield instincts | None |
| Basic — Faith | Devotion to a faith or religious cause; blessings, insight, and spiritual discipline | None |
| Basic — Magic | Early exposure to arcane or divine magic; mnemonic tricks, bloodline echoes, minor affinities | None |
| Basic — Social | Upbringing, contacts, reputation, and interpersonal skills developed before adventuring | None |
| Campaign | Personal connection to the current Adventure Path's opening events or setting premise | GM approval; max 1 per character |
| Race | Innate biological or cultural advantages specific to a particular ancestry | Must be of the listed race (or subrace) |
| Regional | Skills and habits absorbed from a homeland, city, or geographic region | Must have lived in or been born in the listed region |
| Religion | Blessings and disciplines from active worship of a specific deity | Must worship the listed deity |
Selection Restrictions
- No duplicates. You cannot select the same trait twice, even if it has multiple valid applications.
- One per Basic subcategory. You may not select two Combat traits, two Faith traits, two Magic traits, or two Social traits. You can take one from each subcategory freely — e.g., one Combat and one Magic is fine.
- One per non-Basic category. You may only select one Campaign trait, one Race trait, one Regional trait, and one Religion trait — regardless of how many you qualify for. At 1st level you may select only one Regional trait, typically the one tied to your character's birthplace or homeland.
- Meet the requirement. Race, Regional, and Religion traits require you to satisfy the listed prerequisite. The GM adjudicates borderline cases (e.g., a half-elf taking an elven race trait).
- Religion traits can be lost. Because religion traits require active faith, a character who abandons their deity loses the associated trait. The GM chooses the resolution: the trait is simply lost; or the character may choose a new religion trait for the new deity; or the trait is lost until the character gains a level, at which point they may swap it for a Basic — Faith trait. This is the only category of trait that can be lost after character creation.