Traits

[Stix]

Trait	CPs
Alignment Affinity	5
Allure	4
Animal Empathy	4
Artistic Talent	4
Athleticism	8
Climate Sense	4
Criminal Connection	7
Double-jointed	4
Empathy	4
Fast Healer	6
Glibness	4
Impersonation	5
Internal Compass	5
Keen Eyesight	5
Keen Hearing	5
Keen Smell	6
Keen Taste	4
Keen Touch	4
Light Sleeper	5
Lucky	6
Magical Perception	5
Mentor	10
Musical Talent	5
Obscure Knowledge	4
Planar Recognition	5
Planar Resistance	5
Precise Memory	4
Resistance: Cold	4
Resistance: Disease	5
Resistance: Heat	5
Resistance: Poison	6
Secret Identity	5

Trait Descriptions

Alignment Affinity: The character is instantly aware of any beings within 20’ who possess the same alignment as himself.

Allure: This trait allows a character to attract romantic attention. When capitalizing on this trait, the character receives a +3 reaction bonus with anyone who considers him attractive. A character with the allure trait can receive one henchman above the normal maximum – an NPC with a romantic interest, however unrequited and hopeless, toward the player character.

Animal Empathy: The character possesses an inherent ability to relate to animals. The character will generally receive a positive reaction from domesticated animals, and can soothe the fears of captive wild animals with remarkable consistency. For example, with a successful Wisdom check, the character can encourage a domesticated animal to approach, or silence a barking watchdog. The character, as a rule, cannot persuade wild animals to lose their fear of humans.

Artistic Talent: The character has talent with the use of brushes and paint, charcoal sketching, and the sculptor’s knife. Even without any related proficiency the character can render realistic maps and mold simple objects from clay. When this trait is coupled with training, the character can create works of real artistic merit. As a general rule, the character’s work as an artist or artisan will fetch 1–50% more than the typical cost for such products.

Athleticism: As a result of the character’s strength and agility, he receives a +2/+10% bonus to all checks involving running, jumping, throwing, and climbing.

Climate Sense: This trait provides a character with an innate sense of impending (within one hour) changes in the weather by making a successful Wisdom check.

Criminal Connection: The character is familiar with several established criminals in the region. These criminals know the character and have some respect for him. They might be willing to provide minor information or assistance, as long as the character does not ask too much and pays for what is received. Criminal connections are limited to a small area, such as a city or a large town. This advantage is lost if the character angers his connections. These connections might ask the character for information and assistance in return for their help. If the character failed to meet his end of the bargain, his connections refuse to help ever again.

Double-jointed: The character has a unique ability to wriggle out of ropes, manacles, brackets, chains, and other bonds. The bound character can make a Dexterity check when attempting to twist free of the bonds (halved if the bonds are metal). Such an escape requires 1d6 rounds for each limb that is bound.

Empathy: The character with this trait has an innate ability to sense the motivations, emotions, and possibly the intentions, of others. If the character can observe a conversing group for one turn (and succeed at a Wisdom check), he has understood something significant about their discussion or plans. The check is halved if no one in the group is of the character’s race. The empathetic character does not have to know the language spoken, but receives +2 to the check if he does.

Fast Healer: This highly useful trait allows a character to recover 1 hit point of damage within 2d6 turns of receiving a wound. Also, the character naturally heals an extra hit point per day.

Glibness: The character has a knack for dissuading suspicions and manipulating others into doing what he wants. Characters can make Charisma checks to see if their glibness is successful.

Impersonation: The character has a natural ability to fall into a role, and to project that role believably to others. A character with the impersonation trait gains a +2 bonus to all rolls made using the acting, disguise, and voice mimicry proficiencies. Additionally, the character can assume a disguise immediately—i.e., without benefit of costume or makeup.

Internal Compass: Characters with this trait have a general idea of where they are, and in which direction they are facing when out of doors. In the wilderness, this means that their chance of becoming lost is reduced by 5%. When using the navigation proficiency, characters with this trait receive a +1 bonus to their proficiency score.

Keen Eyesight: These characters have “eagle eyes.” That is, they can perceive details at about twice the range of characters with normal vision. Keen eyesight does not improve a character’s ability to see in the dark, nor does it convey unique peripheral vision. However, if a group of companions make out a party in the distance, the keen-eyed character might be able to tell the whether the party consists of tieflings or dretches. When the others can discern the race of the distant party, this character can tell how they’re armed and how they’re dressed. A character with the keen eyesight trait receives a +1 bonus on all rolls to hit with a missile weapon at long range.

Keen Hearing: This trait means that the character possesses excellent aural acuity—able to hear the proverbial pin drop. In cases where hearing can be a factor in avoiding surprise, this character receives a +1 bonus. This applies whenever the PC approaches an ambush, unless background noise (a waterfall, bustling marketplace, windstorm, etc.) could be expected to drown out the inadvertent sounds of the ambushers. This trait adds +10% to every attempt to detect noise.

Keen Smell: This valuable trait elevates the character’s sense of smell to an uncanny level. In any case where the character might detect an approaching encounter by smelling the other party, this character gets a +1 bonus on chances of being surprised. In addition, this trait gives the character a +2 bonus when using the hunting proficiency. The character can make a check against half his Wisdom to determine whether food or drink has been poisoned or otherwise tainted.

Keen Taste: This trait allows characters to detect foreign substances and unnatural alterations in anything they taste. Characters can make Wisdom checks with a +3 modifier. Success means they realize some sort of alteration has been done to the food or drink.

Keen Touch: A character with this trait has unusually sensitive tactile senses, able to feel the difference between a silver and gold piece, for example. This inherent advantage gives a +5% bonus to pick pockets and open locks attempts.

Light Sleeper: This character will awaken at the slightest disturbance. The character will awaken if he hears any unusual noise, such as the approach of anyone wearing metal armor or conversing. If the character is approached by someone who is working very hard at being stealthy, the light sleeper can make a Wisdom check; success means they become aware of the intruder, while failure means they continue to sleep. If a light sleeper is approached by a thief who is successful at an attempt to move silently, then the sleeping character is not allowed the check, since there is no sound to alert the sleeper.

Lucky: The luck that seems to bless this character is not a matter of improving the odds of various die rolls, nor of gaining increased benefits to other game situations. Rather, it is that this character seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Once a day, the character can make a Charisma check; if successful, the situation somehow turns to his advantage.

Magical Perception: Regardless of whether the character is a spellslinger, he understands how the unique nature of his home plane affects magic. This includes which schools of magic are affected, how it is affected, and why (“You’re on Mechanus, berk — wild magic is useless here and against the law.”). This ability does not provide other magical insight, such as spell keys.

Mentor: The character has an old friend, trainer, or teacher with whom he maintains a strong relationship. When the character needs further training, advice, or just someone to talk to, he can approach his old friend. The mentor may also be willing to lend money, provide room and board, or even help fight against a truly terrible foe. The character should be respectful and courteous to his mentor, repaying the favors he receives in short order. The character should not become a nuisance or ask for help so often the mentor becomes a crutch. If the character abuses the relationship, betrays his mentor, steals from him, or breaks any ethical codes the mentor follows, the character loses the benefits of the relationship.

Musical Talent: This trait represents musical talent, regardless of training. The character has a flawless sense of pitch and rhythm, and the manual dexterity to skillfully play any instrument he learns with great skill. This talent adds +2 to any musical performance-related proficiency check.

Obscure Knowledge: The character has a mind that grasps, permanently, little bits of information from here and there—items that, at first blush, might not have any useful application. The typical procedure for the character using this trait would require an Intelligence check. If the check is successful, the character has stored away some trivial bit of information about a topic at hand.

Planar Recognition: Upon sight, the character instantly recognizes any beings who originate from his home plane as a fellow native. Only true natives of the plane can be discerned. This ability does not grant the ability to recognize those who migrated to the character’s home plane from another plane.

Planar Resistance: The character receives a +3 bonus to all saves vs. any naturally occurring phenomena on his home plane.

Precise Memory: This trait indicates a character who has a “photographic memory.” For example, once seeing a piece of heraldry, the character will remember what house or noble that symbol represents. If this character looks at a map, and has the time to study it in detail, he can be expected to remember that map with a great deal of accuracy. In most circumstances this memory is fairly automatic. But in cases of intricate detail, or if a long time lapses since the character first observed something, the DM can require an Intelligence/Learning check before providing the player with the information. This trait refers primarily to the recollection of things that the character has seen written down or rendered in artwork. If the character has the reading/writing proficiency, it applies also to things that he has read.

Resistance to Cold: This character is able to remain comfortable in temperatures that most find chilling, and he can sometimes avoid the worst effects of cold-based attacks such as white dragon breath. In game terms, the character gains a +2 bonus to saving throws against cold attacks. Additionally, the character can reduce his level of encumbrance caused by winter garments.

Resistance to Disease: The character with this trait has a strong resistance to diseases of all types. When a saving throw is allowed against a possible infection, the character gains a +3 bonus. If there is an infection, the duration of the disease is reduced—by one day, week, etc.,—for each die rolled to determine this time period. This immunity does not apply to magical enchantments and curses, such as lycanthropy.

Resistance to Heat: Like the immunity to cold, this trait confers an advantage on the character in certain types of climates, and improves saving throw chances against fire- and heat-based attack forms. The saving throw bonus is a +2, and applies to saving throws against such magical infernos as red dragon breath and against the effects of lava or normal fire. In addition, under hot environmental conditions, a character with this type of immunity can travel twice as far as his companions (and wear metal armor twice as long) without suffering fatigue.

Resistance to Poison: This trait enhances the character’s natural resistance to poisons—inhaled, ingested, and injected. The character receives a +1 bonus to all saving throws versus any kind of toxin. Additionally, the damage done by virulent poisons is reduced by 1 point per die (to a minimum of 1), and the duration of paralytic and other temporary poisons is reduced by 1 round (or turn) per die rolled.

Secret Identity: The character has an alter ego that he maintains on a regular basis. The alter ego is likely to be quite different from the character’s true personality; the alter ego is probably so different that no one would ever suspect they were the same person. The player decides the details of the secret identity, including race, gender, age, appearance, profession, and reputation. When the character spends the 5 CPs, it is assumed the alter ego has already been established in the area and is well known by several people. A good secret identity usually involves a favorite place (or two) where the character puts in a regular appearance.