Revised Skill Traits for Pathfinder 1e (Patreon)

I'm working on revising all the traits for Pathfinder 1st edition, with an eye towards a "Revised Path" reworking of the game system itself.

In my revised trait organization, I have boiled everything down to just 7 trait types -- Universal, Background, Combat, Faith, Magic, Nature, and Social. Universal traits replace Favored Class Bonuses, while the others cover the broad categories I think it makes sense for traits to fall into. I also wish to present traits differently, with each boiled down to it's essential rules elements, specifically to allow GMs and players to decide what details of a PC justify having a given trait.

One place where this allows a TON of reduction in total number of traits, and the wordcount needed for them, is traits that give you a +1 trait bonus to a specific skill, which also becomes a class skill. I don't want Universal traits to do that, but otherwise each type of trait has a single specific trait in it that allows you to gain the +1 and class skill status with one of a set of skills.

Here's my current draft of what those traits would look like, each being clearly assigned to one of my proposed trait categories. Every skill has at least one trait that can grant it, and many skills are on more than one trait's list. In some cases the logic for placing a skill with a specific trait type is obvious. In others it's based on decades of my gameplay experience (the Magic Skills trait includes Appraise, because pretty early in their careers spellcasters find themselves having to determine the value of expensive material components, and Disable Device because magic traps are a thing).

Background Skills [Background Trait]

Select one of the following skills: Craft (any), Escape Artist, Knowledge (engineering), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility), Linguistics, Profession (any), or Sleight of Hand. You gain a +1 trait bonus to checks made with this skill, and it is always a class skill for you.

You can select this trait more than once. Its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, you must choose a different skill.

Combat Skills [Combat Trait]

Select one of the following skills: Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Escape Artist, Heal, Intimidate, Perception, Ride, Stealth, or Swim. You gain a +1 trait bonus to checks made with this skill, and it is always a class skill for you.

You can select this trait more than once. Its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, you must choose a different skill.

Faith Skills [Faith Trait]

Select one of the following skills: Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (planes), Knowledge (religion), Perform, Sense Motive, or Spellcraft. You gain a +1 trait bonus to checks made with this skill, and it is always a class skill for you.

You can select this trait more than once. Its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, you must choose a different skill.

Magic Skills [Magic Trait]

Select one of the following skills: Appraise, Disable Device, Fly, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (planes), Spellcraft, or Use Magic Device. You gain a +1 trait bonus to checks made with this skill, and it is always a class skill for you.

You can select this trait more than once. Its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, you must choose a different skill.

Nature Skills [nature Trait]

Select one of the following skills: Fly, Handle Animal, Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (planes), Ride, or Survival. You gain a +1 trait bonus to checks made with this skill, and it is always a class skill for you.

You can select this trait more than once. Its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, you must choose a different skill.

Social Skills [Social Trait]

Select one of the following skills: Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Intimidate, Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility). You gain a +1 trait bonus to checks made with this skill, and it is always a class skill for you.

You can select this trait more than once. Its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, you must choose a different skill.

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