Homebrewed some regional traits. Please help me finetune the lot

[VoidWarden]

I'm trying to assign regional traits to my homebrewed world. As some background, these would be a set of fifteen regional traits for 15 universities in a metropolis dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge (I can add more details about the world if you feel this is necessary). The idea is that each trait is for a graduate. I've revamped some existing traits. Here's my current list.

I'd love some input into whether some of these traits are wildly imbalanced. To be clear, could y'all critique these homebrewed traits and tell me if you think any of them need a buff or debuff compared to the rest.

Author's note: the first two traits are just reskinned existing ones but the other 13 should be new. This is the third forum I'm posting this on (posted on paizo and stackexchange before) so this is already a reviewed version of the traits.


Ars Arcanum (arcane arts) is a +2 trait bonus on concentration checks made while casting arcane spells
Ars Divina (divine arts) is a +2 trait bonus on concentration checks made while casting divine spells.
Ars Occulta (occult arts) is a +2 trait bonus on concentration checks made while casting psychic spells.
Ars Prima (primal arts): Once per day, you can cast Influence Wild Magicv but replace the duration with "lasts three3 rounds") or whenever another caster in a 30ft area around you fails a concentration check, you may make a spellcraft check of a DC equivalent to the DC of their concentration check. If you succeed, they trigger a wild magic surge
Ars Vis (understanding how 1 to 4 interact with each other): When you cast a spell that would deal energy damage, you can take a free action to make a DC 15 concentration check to add another type. Success means that the spell's energy damage is now both its normal kind and acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic damage.
Ars Temporum (studying history): As long as you aren't stripped of all your gear, you can take 1d4 rounds to consult your notes. In the round after you've finished consulting your notes, you can take a free action to make a Knowledge (history) skill check about a particular creature, place, or event. You gain a +2 trait bonus on this check. If you fail this check, you can, during the same day, take take 1d4 hours to consult your notes again. In the round after you've finished consulting your notes again, you can take a free action to try again the same Knowledge (history) skill check about the same creature, place, or event that you failed earlier but with a +5 trait bonus on that check.
Ars Geographicam (studying cartography and the planet itself): When you and up to a number of other creatures equal to the your level conduct overland travel together, and you have in your possession a detailed map that includes a route's starting point and destination, you and those creatures may travel 20% farther per hour or per day.
Ars Vivens (studying all living things): You get a +1 trait bonus to confirm critical hits (against living creatures). You also get a +1 trait bonus to AC only when enemies are confirming a critical hit against you (the logic being you understand how your and other's bodies work better than most).
Ars Creatrix (studying all art forms): Pick a Perform skill and a Craft skill. You gain a +2 trait bonus on each of these skills. Pick one of these skill to always be a class skill.
Ars Systemata (studying how 6 to 9 influence culture and social groups): Once per day, before you make either a Diplomacy check, a Bluff check, or an Intimidate check and that check could affect 2 or more creatures, you may declare that you're using this ability; this is not an action. You gain a +5 trait bonus on that skill check.
Ars Medicae (healing): You can take a standard action to make a Heal skill check to perform first aid (DC 15) on an adjacent creature. Success means that, in addition to the normal effects of first aid, the creature gains 1 temporary hp. Temporary hp gained from this ability stack with themselves (up to a maximum number of temporary hp equal to your ranks in the Heal skill). Any temporary hp gained in this fashion disappear when the creature possesses 0 or more non-temporary hp.
Ars Factorum (engineering): When you take this trait, pick construct or crafting. If you picked construct, you can take the feat Craft Construct without meeting its prerequisites. If you picked crafting, pick a Craft skill; this Craft skill is always a class skill for you, and you gain a +3 trait bonus on your checks with this Craft skill.
Ars Crescente (agriculture and other forms of plant cultures): You get a +3 trait bonus to all knowledge (nature) checks that would apply to plant-life. Knowledge (nature) is always a class skill.
Ars Potionum (potions and other such concoctions): When you start to create a potion or elixir, you may make a concentration check (DC 15 + the spell level of the potion's spell or the spell level of the elixir's highest level prerequisite spell, and your character level equals your caster level). Success means that the potion or elixir will be created in half the normal time. You may attempt this check only once per potion or elixir. Further, you can brew a mutagen in half the normal time. Finally, you gain a +1 trait bonus on Craft (alchemy) skill checks.
Ars Artificis (studying ancient crafting and construction methods and attempting to replicate them): You can take 1 hour to make a Knowledge (engineering) check against a mundane object or a creature that possesses the type construct (DC 15). Success means that you can replicate or repair the mundane object or repair the creature as if you had 3 skill ranks in the Craft skill needed to replicate or repair the object or creature. You may use this ability once per day per object or creature.


Thanks for any suggestions y'all might have!

[Maat Mons]

Ars Vis: Does this deal half the damage as one type and half as the other?
Ars Factorum: If you don’t have a caster level, what is your effective caster level for purposes of crafting constructs?
Ars Potionum: So, you can brew a potion in 4 hours? This doesn’t appear to remove the limitation of only being able to work on one magic item per day. Crafting potions is generally a downtime activity, so exactly how much of the day you’re devoting to what doesn’t seem like a big deal. For multi-day items that take an odd number of days, do you round up, round down, or spend only 4 hours on the last day?
Ars Artificis: I’m not sure what you’re going for here. You don’t need ranks in the relevant Craft skill to be able to use it. So this just seems to be giving a numerical bonus on Craft skills you don’t have ranks in. In that case, instead of messing around with effective skill ranks, I’d just give a bonus. The limitations of taking an extra hour and only being able to use the benefit once per day don’t seem significant. Craft checks already take 8 hours. Uping that to 9 hours doesn’t seem to make much practical difference. I don’t think very many people were doubling up on Craft checks per day either.

[VoidWarden]

Ars Vis: Does this deal half the damage as one type and half as the other?
Ars Factorum: If you donÂ’t have a caster level, what is your effective caster level for purposes of crafting constructs?
Ars Potionum: So, you can brew a potion in 4 hours? This doesnÂ’t appear to remove the limitation of only being able to work on one magic item per day. Crafting potions is generally a downtime activity, so exactly how much of the day youÂ’re devoting to what doesnÂ’t seem like a big deal. For multi-day items that take an odd number of days, do you round up, round down, or spend only 4 hours on the last day?
Ars Artificis: IÂ’m not sure what youÂ’re going for here. You donÂ’t need ranks in the relevant Craft skill to be able to use it. So this just seems to be giving a numerical bonus on Craft skills you donÂ’t have ranks in. In that case, instead of messing around with effective skill ranks, IÂ’d just give a bonus. The limitations of taking an extra hour and only being able to use the benefit once per day donÂ’t seem significant. Craft checks already take 8 hours. Uping that to 9 hours doesnÂ’t seem to make much practical difference. I donÂ’t think very many people were doubling up on Craft checks per day either.

Ars Vis: it was originally meant to be damage with two types (as in not, half and half). But as that seems to be too complicated rules-wise, so I'm thinking of replacing it with just "replace the type with another".

Ars Factorum: As stated, it should be "your character level equals your caster level". I might need to restructure the phrasing to make that part more obvious.

Ars Potionum: As far as I can tell from the rules (at least according to AON), brewing a potion takes a day. So by halving it (always rounding down), it'd take half a day with this trait. This implies a character can make two potions a day, but I might need to write that out explicitly. For multi-day items, you round down.

Ars Artificis: The "as if you had 3 skill ranks" is important. A character who has craft as a class skill could get a total +6 bonus just with this trait without having to invest any skills in craft. The hour spent is just a flavorful way of representing the research. The once per day is there to make sure characters can't just spam use this trait until they succeed. I'm not sure where you got your time spent on crafting from either, crafting or repairing takes different times depending on items and complexity.

[Maat Mons]

As stated, it should be "your character level equals your caster level". I might need to restructure the phrasing to make that part more obvious.

I’m not seeing where that’s written. Are you sure that bit wasn’t a victim of copypasta?




As far as I can tell from the rules (at least according to AON), brewing a potion takes a day. So by halving it (always rounding down), it'd take half a day with this trait. This implies a character can make two potions a day, but I might need to write that out explicitly.


Regardless of the time needed for construction, a caster can create no more than one magic item per day. (https://www.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?Name=Magic%20Item%20Creation&Category=Magic%20Items)




The hour spent is just a flavorful way of representing the research. The once per day is there to make sure characters can't just spam use this trait until they succeed. I'm not sure where you got your time spent on crafting from either, crafting or repairing takes different times depending on items and complexity.

It’s a DC 15 check, and you’re not going to be in combat, so you can take 10. If you have a +5 modifier on Knowledge (engineering), there exists no chance of failure. It’s pretty easy to get a +5 modifier in a skill as early as 1st level.




I'm not sure where you got your time spent on crafting from either, crafting or repairing takes different times depending on items and complexity.

Crafting time being based on item complexity is a variant rule. I’ll have to look to see if I imagined it, but I thought there was a rule saying if you take, for example, “1 week” to craft something with the Craft skill, you’re not spending 168 uninterrupted hours toiling away. Instead, there’s some time spent sleeping, eating, and doing other things.

[VoidWarden]

I’m not seeing where that’s written. Are you sure that bit wasn’t a victim of copypasta?



Ars Potionum (potions and other such concoctions): When you start to create a potion or elixir, you may make a concentration check (DC 15 + the spell level of the potion's spell or the spell level of the elixir's highest level prerequisite spell, and your character level equals your caster level). Success means that the potion or elixir will be created in half the normal time. You may attempt this check only once per potion or elixir. Further, you can brew a mutagen in half the normal time. Finally, you gain a +1 trait bonus on Craft (alchemy) skill checks.

Bolded the part where it's written.


Regardless of the time needed for construction, a caster can create no more than one magic item per day.


So I'll make it explicit that this trait would allow them to brew two potions a day.


It’s a DC 15 check, and you’re not going to be in combat, so you can take 10. If you have a +5 modifier on Knowledge (engineering), there exists no chance of failure. It’s pretty easy to get a +5 modifier in a skill as early as 1st level.

I see your point. I'll remove the requirements for an hour as well as the once per day limitation.


"Crafting time being based on item complexity is a variant rule. I’ll have to look to see if I imagined it, but I thought there was a rule saying if you take, for example, “1 week” to craft something with the Craft skill, you’re not spending 168 uninterrupted hours toiling away. Instead, there’s some time spent sleeping, eating, and doing other things."

Your take feels right.