MightBeABook
2015-04-14, 05:09 PM
So, I've never been a huge fan of how Traits in UA worked out. The combination of thematically linked benefits and detriments seems like the sort of thing that would be really cool, but they're a bit... underwhelming. The only ones I ever see anyone take are Polite, Honest, Quick, and Spellgifted. The benefits are just not large enough to be worth the trouble, most of the time. The following Traits are my reply. They follow all the ordinary rules for traits, but honestly are meant to fit in the gap between Feat and Template, impact-wise. I tried to make sure all the drawbacks were commensurate with the benefits, but erred on the side of nasty drawbacks. You may notice an abundance of Constitution penalties; that's largely because it's practically the only stat that everyone cares about. Anyway, this is my first (posted) homebrew, and I'm sure I've made some balance errors. Any feedback would be appreciated!
Been to the School of Hard Knocks
You've learned through hard experience that certain skills are indispensable, regardless of profession.
Benefit
Choose two skills. These skills are always class skills for you.
Drawback
The same experiences that teach can also cripple. Choose one of the following:
Beaten and Bruised:You take a -2 penalty to Constitution.
Gimp Leg: Your base land speed is halved.
Head Wound: You take a -2 on all Wisdom, Charisma, and Intelligence-based skill and ability checks.
Blind
You do not have working eyes, but have learned to compensate, to a certain degree.
Benefit
You gain Blindsight 5 feet and Blindsense 20 feet. At 5th level, and every five levels thereafter, the range of your Blindsight increases by 5 feet and the range of your Blindsense increases by 20 feet.
Drawback
You cannot see. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Spot checks) automatically fail. You take a -4 penalty on Search checks. You take a -2 penalty to Armor Class against ranged attacks.
Blood-Oath Bound
You have sworn a ritual oath on your very blood.
Benefit
Whenever acting in direct pursuit (interpret as narrowly as reasonable) of the fulfillment of your Blood-Oath, all d20's you roll are considered to have a minimum result of 10. At all times, you gain an effect similar to that of a Phylactery of Faithfulness, informing you about your oath, rather than a deity's code of conduct.
Drawback
You take a -2 penalty to Constitution. You are considered to be under the effects of both a Geas and a Lesser Geas to fulfill your oath, though the penalties apply weekly, not daily. These are unbreakable by any means short of divine intervention or epic magic.
Special
Taking the Blood-Oath Bound trait requires a ritual involving the aid of a spellcaster of at least 5th level. When taking the Blood-Oath Bound Trait, you must make an oath for the benefits and penalties of the Trait to key off of. This oath may be a short-term goal or a more ongoing task, or even downright impossible, but must be specific and actionable. Example oaths include “To defend the royal bloodline even unto my dying hour,” “To slay the man who killed my father,” “To kill every last elf on the surface of the world,” and “To stand alone against the darkness.” All oaths should be approved specifically by the Dungeon Master. It is strongly discouraged to attempt to use a very broad oath. If an oath is fulfilled (for example, if you kill the slayer of your father), you lose all benefits of this trait and the Geas penalties, but retain the -2 to Constitution. This is a permanent cost of the Blood-Oath Ritual. You may take this Trait multiple times, either serially or simultaneously. This is ill-advised.
Dwarfism
You are unnaturally small for your race.
Benefit
You gain a +2 bonus to Dexterity. You are one size smaller than is typical for your race, with all the benefits and penalties thereof.
Drawback
You take a -4 penalty to Constitution and a -2 penalty to Strength.
Ex-Mindslave
You spent a period of years under mental domination, unable to think for yourself. This has left scars, which both weaken you and prevent you from being controlled again.
Benefit
You are immune to mind-affecting effects.
Drawback
Years of physical and mental damage have taken their toll on your mind and body alike. -4 Con, -4 Wis, -4 Int.
Flare
You have an unusual degree of magical potency, but difficulty controlling it.
Benefit
Your caster level for all spells and abilities increases by 1. At level 6, this bonus increases to 2. At level 14, this bonus increases to 3.
Drawback
Whenever you cast a spell or use a spell-like ability in a stressful situation, roll a d20. On a roll of 1, make a Concentration check with a DC equal to 10 + 3xSpell Level. If you fail this check, you lose control of your magic and suffer backlash damage (backlash damage cannot be mitigated in any way) equal to (Spell Level)d6, the spell fizzles, and you are dazed for 1 round.
Special
When making Concentration checks for this ability, no external forces can aid you. Magic items, auras, and the like do not function.
Inviolate
You are naturally resistant to magical phenomena.
Benefit
You gain Spell Resistance equal to ECL + 12.
Drawback
You cannot lower your Spell Resistance for any reason. You cannot benefit from any form of magical healing (this includes both spells and (Su) abilities).
Naturally Psionic
You have some measure of psionic potential, perhaps as a result of an impurity in your heritage.
Benefit
You gain the Naturally Psionic Special Quality: You gain two bonus Power Points at first level. You are considered to be a psionic creature.
Drawback
Your unusual development of mind comes at a cost to your body. You take a -2 penalty to Constitution.
Paranoid
You are extremely suspicious and jumpy.
Benefit
You gain a +2 bonus to Reflex Saves and a +2 bonus to Spot, Listen, Search, and Sense Motive checks. You also make a Will Save to disbelieve any illusion you perceive, without the need for interaction.
Drawback
You take a -6 penalty on Diplomacy and Concentration checks and a -4 penalty to Charisma.
Soul of [Alignment]
You have a deep and fundamental bond with a particular alignment.
Benefit
Choose an alignment (Good, Evil, Law, or Chaos). You gain the alignment subtype appropriate to your chosen alignment.
Drawback
Your ties to the energies of the outer planes weaken your flesh. You take a -2 penalty to Constitution.
Suicidally Reckless
You are the sort of person who is definitely going to get himself killed through sheer stupidity.
Benefit
You gain Robilar's Gambit as a Bonus Feat. It functions regardless of prerequisites.
Drawback
You do not have a choice in whether or not to offer Robilar's Gambit. You are always doing so. Further, you take a -2 penalty to AC.
Been to the School of Hard Knocks
You've learned through hard experience that certain skills are indispensable, regardless of profession.
Benefit
Choose two skills. These skills are always class skills for you.
Drawback
The same experiences that teach can also cripple. Choose one of the following:
Beaten and Bruised:You take a -2 penalty to Constitution.
Gimp Leg: Your base land speed is halved.
Head Wound: You take a -2 on all Wisdom, Charisma, and Intelligence-based skill and ability checks.
Blind
You do not have working eyes, but have learned to compensate, to a certain degree.
Benefit
You gain Blindsight 5 feet and Blindsense 20 feet. At 5th level, and every five levels thereafter, the range of your Blindsight increases by 5 feet and the range of your Blindsense increases by 20 feet.
Drawback
You cannot see. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Spot checks) automatically fail. You take a -4 penalty on Search checks. You take a -2 penalty to Armor Class against ranged attacks.
Blood-Oath Bound
You have sworn a ritual oath on your very blood.
Benefit
Whenever acting in direct pursuit (interpret as narrowly as reasonable) of the fulfillment of your Blood-Oath, all d20's you roll are considered to have a minimum result of 10. At all times, you gain an effect similar to that of a Phylactery of Faithfulness, informing you about your oath, rather than a deity's code of conduct.
Drawback
You take a -2 penalty to Constitution. You are considered to be under the effects of both a Geas and a Lesser Geas to fulfill your oath, though the penalties apply weekly, not daily. These are unbreakable by any means short of divine intervention or epic magic.
Special
Taking the Blood-Oath Bound trait requires a ritual involving the aid of a spellcaster of at least 5th level. When taking the Blood-Oath Bound Trait, you must make an oath for the benefits and penalties of the Trait to key off of. This oath may be a short-term goal or a more ongoing task, or even downright impossible, but must be specific and actionable. Example oaths include “To defend the royal bloodline even unto my dying hour,” “To slay the man who killed my father,” “To kill every last elf on the surface of the world,” and “To stand alone against the darkness.” All oaths should be approved specifically by the Dungeon Master. It is strongly discouraged to attempt to use a very broad oath. If an oath is fulfilled (for example, if you kill the slayer of your father), you lose all benefits of this trait and the Geas penalties, but retain the -2 to Constitution. This is a permanent cost of the Blood-Oath Ritual. You may take this Trait multiple times, either serially or simultaneously. This is ill-advised.
Dwarfism
You are unnaturally small for your race.
Benefit
You gain a +2 bonus to Dexterity. You are one size smaller than is typical for your race, with all the benefits and penalties thereof.
Drawback
You take a -4 penalty to Constitution and a -2 penalty to Strength.
Ex-Mindslave
You spent a period of years under mental domination, unable to think for yourself. This has left scars, which both weaken you and prevent you from being controlled again.
Benefit
You are immune to mind-affecting effects.
Drawback
Years of physical and mental damage have taken their toll on your mind and body alike. -4 Con, -4 Wis, -4 Int.
Flare
You have an unusual degree of magical potency, but difficulty controlling it.
Benefit
Your caster level for all spells and abilities increases by 1. At level 6, this bonus increases to 2. At level 14, this bonus increases to 3.
Drawback
Whenever you cast a spell or use a spell-like ability in a stressful situation, roll a d20. On a roll of 1, make a Concentration check with a DC equal to 10 + 3xSpell Level. If you fail this check, you lose control of your magic and suffer backlash damage (backlash damage cannot be mitigated in any way) equal to (Spell Level)d6, the spell fizzles, and you are dazed for 1 round.
Special
When making Concentration checks for this ability, no external forces can aid you. Magic items, auras, and the like do not function.
Inviolate
You are naturally resistant to magical phenomena.
Benefit
You gain Spell Resistance equal to ECL + 12.
Drawback
You cannot lower your Spell Resistance for any reason. You cannot benefit from any form of magical healing (this includes both spells and (Su) abilities).
Naturally Psionic
You have some measure of psionic potential, perhaps as a result of an impurity in your heritage.
Benefit
You gain the Naturally Psionic Special Quality: You gain two bonus Power Points at first level. You are considered to be a psionic creature.
Drawback
Your unusual development of mind comes at a cost to your body. You take a -2 penalty to Constitution.
Paranoid
You are extremely suspicious and jumpy.
Benefit
You gain a +2 bonus to Reflex Saves and a +2 bonus to Spot, Listen, Search, and Sense Motive checks. You also make a Will Save to disbelieve any illusion you perceive, without the need for interaction.
Drawback
You take a -6 penalty on Diplomacy and Concentration checks and a -4 penalty to Charisma.
Soul of [Alignment]
You have a deep and fundamental bond with a particular alignment.
Benefit
Choose an alignment (Good, Evil, Law, or Chaos). You gain the alignment subtype appropriate to your chosen alignment.
Drawback
Your ties to the energies of the outer planes weaken your flesh. You take a -2 penalty to Constitution.
Suicidally Reckless
You are the sort of person who is definitely going to get himself killed through sheer stupidity.
Benefit
You gain Robilar's Gambit as a Bonus Feat. It functions regardless of prerequisites.
Drawback
You do not have a choice in whether or not to offer Robilar's Gambit. You are always doing so. Further, you take a -2 penalty to AC.