Revised Traits for Pathfinder 1e: Combat Traits, Pt 1 (Free Version) (Patreon)

Further work on the kind of redesign I’d do in a Revised Path version of the Pathfinder RPG (1st ed). You can see the general thoughts and first set of Universal traits here. 

Part One covers the general Combat Trait rules, and half of the traits themselves through the 'D's.

COMBAT TRAITS

Combat traits generally affect your effectiveness in combat. These are often a result of your upbringing—either as intentional training, or a knack gained by growing up in the environment you did. But they can also represent an element of your destiny, or strange mystic forces that swirl around you. For example, you might have the Stranger Happenings trait because you grew up on a farm constantly under attack by bizarre monsters, or because you trained in a mercenary company that specialized in weird foes, or because your birth was marked by the alignment of a Strange Star with your birth sign and your life has always been filled with odd occurrences.

Most characters can only take one Combat Trait. A character that has one of each kind of trait (Universal, Background, Combat, Faith, Magic, Nature, and Social) and gains access to another trait (such as with the Extra Traits feat) may take one additional combat trait. Additionally, characters that take their first character level in antipaladin, bloodrager, cavalier, gunslinger, hunter, magus, ninja, paladin, ranger, samurai, shifter, skald, swashbuckler, vigilante, or warpriest can begin play with two combat traits, and those that take their first character level in barbarian, brawler, fighter, hunter, monk, or slayer can begin play with up to three combat traits.

(Art by warmtail)

Absolute Loyalty

You gain the one-time-ever ability to immediately cast atonement upon yourself as a spell-like ability upon performing an act or being subjected to an effect that the atonement spell affects. This ability can only be used while you are acting in the service of your liege (an individual of higher social standing chosen when you take this feat).

Accelerated Drinker

You know how to drink a potion efficiently, such as by not using your hands, tossing it in the air and catching it in your mouth, or opening it with your teeth. You may drink a potion as a move action instead of a standard as long as you start your turn with the potion in your hand, or have the Quick Draw feat, a free hand, and take this as your first action during your turn.

Ambush Training

You’ve learned that taking an enemy by surprise can end a combat before it begins. You gain a +1 trait bonus on initiative checks and a +1 trait bonus on weapon damage rolls during any surprise round in which you act.

Anatomist

You know where to aim your blows to strike vital organs. You gain a +1 trait bonus on all rolls made to confirm critical hits.

Ancient Weapon Training

You know largely-lost fighting techniques. Select one simple or martial weapon from a fighter weapon group. You are proficient with the weapon. If you also gain proficiency with this weapon from a different source, you gain a +1 trait bonus on attacks of opportunity with the weapon.

Special: If the weapon selected is the preferred weapon of your patron deity, you may instead take this as a religious trait. You may do this even if you also take it as a combat trait, but in that case the two traits must apply to different weapons.

Angled Armor

A combination of armor and technique protects you from deadly attacks. When wearing armor and fighting defensively or using Combat Expertise, you receive a +2 trait bonus to your AC against attack rolls to confirm a critical threat.

Armor Expert

Whether as a result of extensive training or a natural affinity, you move in armor with surprising grace. When you wear armor of any sort, reduce that suit’s armor check penalty by 1, to a minimum check penalty of 0.

Armored Rider

You gain a +1 trait bonus on Ride checks, and Ride is a class skill for you. You don’t take an armor check penalty on Ride checks while wearing light or medium armor.

Armored Soul

When wearing armor or using a shield, you gain a +1 trait bonus on saving throws against divine spells that deal damage.

Axe to Grind

There is a fire in your heart that can’t be quenched. You gain a +1 trait bonus on damage against foes who are threatened by only you.

Back for More

Anytime an opponent confirms a critical hit against you, you gain a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls against that foe until the end of your next turn.

Battle Aid

You gain a +2 trait bonus on attack rolls to perform the aid another action.

Special: If you have the battle mystery, tactics inquisition, war blessing, or war domain, you may instead take this as a religious trait. You may do this even if you also take it as a combat trait, in which case the two traits’ benefits stack.

Battlefield Disciple

You are skilled at supporting your allies in the heat of battle. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Heal checks made to stabilize a dying creature. In addition, when you successfully use the aid another action in combat to grant an ally a bonus on her next attack roll, the bonus you grant increases by 1.

Special: If you have the battle mystery, tactics inquisition, war blessing, or war domain, you may instead take this as a religious trait. You may do this even if you also take it as a combat trait, in which case the two traits’ benefits stack.

Berserker’s Fury

If you have the rage class feature, you may use your rage ability for 3 additional rounds per day.

Black Powder Bravado

You are particularly successful when using deeds. Once per day, when you perform a deed that requires an attack roll and you miss with that roll, you can reroll it. You must take the second result even if it is worse.

Black Powder Interjection

Your confidence rises when you foil spellcasting. Once per day, when you interrupt the casting of a spell with a firearm attack, you may regain 1 grit point.

Black Powder Valor

You know little to fear when there’s a gun in your hand. As long as you are wielding a firearm, you gain a +2 trait bonus on all saving throws against fear and emotion effects, and the DC to demoralize you with the Intimidate skill is 2 higher than normal.

Blight's Bane

You are trained in the destruction of blights. You gain a +2 trait bonus to confirm critical hits against a creature that has a template affiliated with some kind of communicable condition, such as a blighted fey or a fungal creature.

Bloodied Knuckles

You are skilled at fighting with your fists. You can make attacks of opportunity with unarmed strikes, and gain a +1 trait bonus on such attacks of opportunity. If you have the Improved Unarmed Attack feat, you also gain a +1 bonus to damage with unarmed attacks.

Bloodthirsty

Whenever you make an attack that reduces a foe to 0 hit points or fewer or you confirm a critical hit, your attack gains a +1 trait bonus to damage. On a critical hit, the additional damage is multiplied by your attack’s critical hit multiplier.

Bloody-Minded

You gain a +1 trait bonus on initiative and Intimidate checks.

[Patreon Note - the list of traits through the D's is currently 42 traits. While this article available to everyone only includes 21 or them, the full version available to paid Patreon supporters has the full text for the following additional revised combat traits.

Bouncer

Broken, Not Beaten

Careful Combatant

Cautious Fighter

Coherent Rage

Cold and Calculating

Combat Engineer

Courageous

Crowd Dodger

Deadly Blade

Dedicated Defender

Defender

Deft

Demon Slayer

Devil Fighter

Dirty Fighter

Dirty Trickster

Disillusioned

Dormant Defense

Dragon Armor

Dueling Cloak Adept

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