Toggle Theme

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Starfinder RPG

Rules Index | GM Screen
Race Builder / Creating a New Race / Step 3: Racial Traits

Offensive Racial Traits

Source Advanced Race Guide pg. 232
The following racial traits augment a race’s fighting prowess.

Standard Offensive Traits

Source Advanced Race Guide pg. 232
Bite (1 RP): Prerequisites: Small or larger size; Benefit: Members of this race gain a natural bite attack, dealing damage equivalent to that of a creature two size categories lower than normal for their size (Bestiary 302; 1d2 for Small races, 1d3 for Medium, etc.). The bite is a primary attack, or a secondary attack if the creature is wielding manufactured weapons. Special: This trait can be taken up to two times. The second time it is taken, the bite damage increases by one size category.

Breath Weapon (1 RP): Prerequisites: Aberration, construct, dragon, humanoid (reptilian), monstrous humanoid, or outsider (native) with ties to an elemental plane; Benefit: Choose one of the following energy types: acid, cold, electricity, or fire. If the creature is an outsider (native), it must have ties to an elemental plane, and it must pick an energy that corresponds to the plane it has ties to (acid [earth], cold [water], electricity [air], or fire [fire]). Then pick either a 15-foot cone or a 20-foot line. Once per day, as a standard action, members of this race can make a supernatural breath weapon attack that deals 1d6 points of the damage type chosen in the area chosen. All creatures within the affected area must make a Reflex saving throw to avoid taking damage. The save DC against this breath weapon is 10 + 1/2 the user’s character level + the user’s Constitution modifier. Those who succeed at the save take no damage from the attack. Special: You can take this trait more than once. Each time you do so, the cost of this trait increases by 1 RP. When do, you can augment the breath weapon in the following ways (augmentations marked with an asterisk [*] can be taken more than once).

Extra Breath*: The member of this race can use its breath weapon an additional time per day.

Increased Area: Increase the cone’s size to 30 feet or the line to 50 feet.

Increased Damage*: Increase the damage by an additional d6.

Powerful Breath: Those who succeed at their saving throws against the breath weapon take half damage.

Celestial Crusader (7 RP): Prerequisite: Outsider (native) with ties to Elysium, Heaven, or Nirvana; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +1 insight bonus on attack rolls and to AC against evil outsiders and a +2 racial bonus to identify evil outsiders or items or effects evil outsiders create with Knowledge (planes) or Spellcraft; they may use these skills untrained for this purpose.

Elemental Assault (1 RP): Prerequisite: Dragon type or outsider (native) with ties to an elemental plane; Benefit: Pick one of the following energy types that corresponds to the plane the race has ties to: acid (earth), cold (water), electricity (air), or fire (fire). Members of this race gain the following supernatural ability: Once per day as a swift action, a member of this race can call on the elemental power lurking in its veins to shroud its arms in the energy type that corresponds to the elemental plane its race has ties to. Unarmed strikes with its elbows or hands (or attacks with weapons held in those hands) deal +1d6 points of damage of the appropriate energy type. This lasts for 1 round per character level. The creature may end the effects of its elemental assault early as a free action.

Ferocity (4 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain the following extraordinary ability: If the hit points of a member of this race fall below 0 but it is not yet dead, it can continue to fight. If it does, it is staggered, and loses 1 hit point each round. It still dies when its hit points reach a negative amount equal to its Constitution score.

Gatecrasher (2 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +2 racial bonus on Strength checks to break objects and a +2 racial bonus on combat maneuver checks to sunder.

Hatred (1 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Choose two subtypes of humanoids or outsiders or one creature type other than humanoid or outsider. Members of this race gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against creatures of these subtypes or this type.

Kneecapper (1 RP): Prerequisite: Small; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +4 racial bonus on combat maneuver checks to trip an opponent.

Magehunter (4 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft checks made to identify a spell being cast and a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against arcane spellcasters. Members of this race only gain this bonus against creatures that use spells, not against those that only use spell-like abilities.

Orc Ferocity (2 RP): Prerequisite: Orc subtype; Benefit: Once per day, when a member of this race is reduced to fewer than 0 hit points but is not killed, it can fight on for 1 more round as if disabled. At the end of its next turn, unless brought to above 0 hit points, it immediately falls unconscious and begins to die.

Poison Use (1 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race are skilled with poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying it to weapons.

Relentless (1 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +2 bonus on combat maneuver checks made to bull rush or overrun an opponent. This bonus only applies while both the member of this race and its opponent are standing on the ground.

Sky Sentinel (3 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls, a +2 dodge bonus to AC, and a +2 bonus on Perception checks against flying creatures. In addition, enemies on higher ground gain no attack roll bonus against members of this race.

Slapping Tail (3 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race have a tail they can use to make attacks of opportunity with a reach of 5 feet. The tail is a natural attack that deals 1d6 points of damage plus the user’s Strength modifier if Small, 1d8 points of damage plus the user’s Strength modifier if Medium, or 1d10 points of damage plus 1-1/2 times the user’s Strength modifier if Large. Special: If a Large creature has the reach trait, its tail also gains reach.

Stench Aura (4 RP): Prerequisite: Monstrous humanoid type, reptilian subtype, or undead type; Benefit: Members of this race secrete a terrible scent as a 15-foot aura that nearly every other creature finds offensive. All living creatures (except those with the stench aura ability) within the aura must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the user’s character level + the user’s Constitution modifier) or be sickened for 5 rounds. Creatures that succeed at the saving throw cannot be sickened by the same creature’s stench aura for 24 hours. A delay poison or neutralize poison spell or similar effect removes the effect from the sickened creature. This is a poison effect. Special: This trait can be taken up to two times. The second time it is taken, the size of the aura increases to 30 feet, and the duration of the effect increases to 10 rounds.

Sticky Tongue (2 RP): Prerequisite: Medium or larger size; Benefit: Members of this race can make melee attacks with their long, sticky tongues. This is a secondary attack. A creature hit by this attack cannot move more than 10 feet away from the attacker and takes a –2 penalty to AC as long as the tongue is attached (this penalty does not stack if multiple tongues are attached). The tongue can be removed by the target or an adjacent ally by making an opposed Strength check against the attacking creature as a standard action or by dealing 2 points of damage to the tongue (AC 11, damage does not reduce the sticky-tongued creature’s hit points). A member of this race cannot move more than 10 feet away from a creature stuck to its tongue, but it can release its tongue from the target as a free action. A member of this race can only have one creature attached to its tongue at a time. Special: This trait can be taken up to two times. The second time it is taken, members of this race gain the ability to pull a creature attached to their tongue 5 feet toward them as a swift action.

Swarming (1 or 2 RP): Prerequisite: Medium or smaller size; Benefit: Members of this race are used to living and fighting communally with other members of their race. Up to two members of this race can share the same square at the same time. If two members of this race that are occupying the same square attack the same foe, they are considered to be flanking that foe as if they were in two opposite squares. Special: If the race is Small or smaller, this trait costs 1 RP. If the race is Medium, it costs 2 RP.

Terrifying Croak (2 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain the following supernatural ability: Once per hour as a standard action, a member of this race can emit a thunderous croak. Any creature not of its subtype (if humanoid) or type (if another race type) must make a successful Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the user’s character level + the user’s Charisma modifier) or become shaken for 1d4 rounds. A target that successfully saves cannot be affected by the user’s terrifying croak for 24 hours. Creatures that are already shaken become frightened for 1d4 rounds instead. This is a sonic, mindaffecting effect.

Toxic (1 RP): Prerequisite: Aberration, dragon, plant, or undead type, or grippli, half-undead, reptilian, or vishkanya subtype; Benefit: Members of this race gain the following extraordinary ability: A number of times per day equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum 1/day), a member of this race can envenom a weapon that it wields with its toxic saliva or blood (using blood requires the creature to be injured when it uses this ability). Applying venom in this way is a swift action. When you take this trait, choose one of the following venoms.

Life-Stealing Venom: Injury; save Fort DC 10 + 1/2 the user’s Hit Dice + the user’s Constitution modifier; frequency 1/ round for 6 rounds; effect 1 Con; cure 1 save. Paralytic Venom: Injury; save Fort DC 10 + 1/2 the user’s Hit Dice + the user’s Constitution modifier; frequency 1/ round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Dex; cure 1 save. Weakening Venom: Injury; save Fort DC 10 + 1/2 the user’s Hit Dice + the user’s Constitution modifier; frequency 1/ round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Str; cure 1 save.

Weapon Familiarity (1 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Choose up to two weapons, or one weapon and a racial weapon group. When choosing a racial weapon group, you must choose a group that includes the same name as one of your subtypes. Members of this race are proficient with those weapons. For the purposes of weapon familiarity, all bows are considered one weapon. Special: This trait can be taken up to two times. The second time it is taken, the race becomes proficient with another two weapons or one weapon and a racial weapon group.

Wyrmscourged (3 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +2 dodge bonus to AC and on saving throws against the extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities of dragons. In addition, they gain a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks to identify dragons and can make such checks untrained.

Advanced Offensive Traits

Source Advanced Race Guide pg. 235
Claws (2 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race receive two claw attacks. These are primary natural attacks. The damage is based on the creature’s size (Bestiary 302).

Frenzy (2 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Once per day, whenever a member of this race takes damage, it flies into a frenzy for 1 minute, gaining a +2 racial bonus to Constitution and Strength, but a –2 penalty to AC.

Frightful Gaze (6 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain the following supernatural ability: Creatures within 30 feet of a member of this race that meet its gaze must succeed at a Will saving throw (DC 10 + the 1/2 user’s character level + the user’s Charisma modifier) or stand paralyzed in fear for 1 round. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. A target that successfully saves cannot be affected by the user’s frightful gaze for 24 hours.

Natural Attack (1 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Pick one of the following natural attacks: gore, hoof (if the race has hooves), slam, talons, or wings (if the race has flight). Members of this race receive one natural attack of the chosen type. Gore, slam, and talons are primary natural attacks, while hoof and wings are secondary natural attacks. The damage is based on the creature’s size (Bestiary 302). Special: This trait can be taken multiple times. Each time, pick a different natural attack.

Reach (1 RP): Prerequisite: Large size; Benefit: Members of this race have a reach of 10 feet.

Swordtrained (4 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race are trained from birth in swordplay, and as a result are automatically proficient with swordlike weapons (including bastard swords, daggers, elven curve blades, falchions, greatswords, kukris, longswords, punching daggers, rapiers, scimitars, short swords, and two-bladed swords).

Tripping Tail (3 RP): Prerequisite: Slapping tail trait; Benefit: When a member of this race hits with its slapping tail, it can make a trip attack as a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Monstrous Offensive Traits

Source Advanced Race Guide pg. 236
Elemental Weapons (6 RP): Prerequisite: Outsider (native) with ties to an elemental plane; Benefit: Pick one of the following energy types that corresponds to the plane the race has ties to: acid (earth), cold (water), electricity (air), or fire (fire). Members of this race deal 1d6 points of energy damage of the selected type whenever they strike a foe with a natural attack, unarmed strike, or melee weapon.

Powerful Charge (2 RP): Prerequisite: Natural attack trait; Benefit: Select one of the race’s natural attacks. Whenever a member of this race charges, it deals twice the number of damage dice with the selected natural attack plus 1-1/2 times its Strength bonus.

Rock Throwing (3 RP): Prerequisite: Large size; Benefit: Members of this race are accomplished rock throwers and gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls with thrown rocks. A member of this race can hurl rocks up to two categories smaller than its size. A “rock” is any large, bulky, and relatively regularly shaped object made of any material with a hardness of at least 5. A thrown rock has a range increment of 120 feet. The creature can hurl the rock up to five range increments. Damage from a thrown rock is 2d6 plus 1-1/2 times the throwing creature’s Strength bonus.