MLP Traits

During character creation, after you have chosen you character's Element of Harmony, select one trait appropriate to your element. At any time the character would gain a new feat, you may choose to acquire an additional trait for the character instead.

Abrasive

You are difficult and demanding in conversation, which tends to oppress those around you.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Intimidate checks.

Drawback: You take a –1 penalty on Diplomacy checks and Bluff checks.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be loud or abrupt or quiet and sinister, but either way, most find them disconcerting or irritating.

Absent-Minded

You are fascinated by knowledge and learning and are capable of pursuing complex trains of thought quite quickly. However, your preoccupation with such thoughts makes you a little less aware of your surroundings.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Knowledge checks (although this does not let you use a Knowledge skill untrained).

Drawbacks: You take a –1 penalty on Spot checks and Listen checks.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might flit from idea to idea, trailing off in mid-sentence or mumbling their way through complex ideas. Conversely, characters with this trait might be extremely articulate but still allow their thoughts to move faster than the pace of a conversation.

Aggressive

You are quick to initiate combat, and you ten to press the attack once battle is joined. Your enthusiasm makes you a dangerous foe, but you sometimes leave yourself open to blows that a more cautious warrior would avoid.

Benefit: You gain +2 bonus on initiative checks.

Drawback: You take a –1 penalty to Defense.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait are often hotheaded and quick to anger, or simply think that the best defense is a quick offense.

Cautious

You are cautious in combat, even a bit cowardly, and you take more care to defend yourself than others. However, this caution renders you susceptible to fear effects.

Benefit: You gain an additional +1 dodge bonus to Defense whenever you fight defensively or take the total defense action.

Drawback: You take a –1 penalty on saving throws made to resist fear effects.

Special: You cannot select this trait if you have immunity to fear or fear effects. If you later gain immunity to fear, you lose the benefit of this trait.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might consistently urge talking rather than fighting, or they might do little to encourage that their companions avoid combat and simply remain as far away form foes as possible, using ranged weapons or spells.

Charmed

Someone or something seems to be watching over you.

Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to any saving throws made to resist or avoid damage.

Drawback: You seem to have less control of your own destiny. Subtract 2 from the number of action points you gain each level.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait may feel they have a guardian angel, or they may just always expect things to go their way.

Detached

You maintain a distance from events that keeps you grounded but limits your reaction speed.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Will saves.

Drawback: You take a –1 penalty on Reflex saves.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait are likely to be quiet and restrained, but they might be vocal when others falter in their beliefs.

Dishonest

You are naturally deceitful and insincere with others. You have a talent for lying, but have difficulty convincing others when you do speak truthfully.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Bluff checks.

Drawback: You take a –2 penalty on Diplomacy checks.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be portrayed as crafty liars, or lying might simply be second nature to them, making actually telling the truth a difficult chore.

Easygoing

You are naturally friendly. Others feel comfortable around you, but this trait also makes it more difficult for you to be pushy or suspicious.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Gather Information checks.

Drawback: You take a –1 penalty on Intimidate checks and Sense Motive checks.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be more easily manipulated in interactions with other characters, or they might simply prefer not to argue and instead use their natural talent to learn more about the world around them.

Focused

You can keep your attention on a task despite many distractions; however, events in the background pass you by.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Concentration checks.

Drawback: You take a –1 penalty on Spot checks and Listen checks.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait often seem single-minded or even obsessive in their focus on a specific task.

Hardy

You are made of tougher stuff than the average person, but you’re not quite as quick to react to dangerous effects.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Fortitude saves.

Drawback: You take a –1 penalty on Reflex saves.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might see their physical prowess as normal and look down on less hardy individuals, or they might see it as their duty to play the role of protector and help those less able to endure physical hardship.

Honest

You are naturally straightforward and sincere. This quality helps you persuade people to your viewpoint, but you have difficulty telling lies and seeing deception in others.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Diplomacy checks.

Drawback: You gain a –1 penalty on Bluff checks and Sense Motive checks.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be naïve and too unsophisticated to lie, or they might be aware of worldly matters and simply choose to take a higher ground.

Logical

You have a knack for separating the “cold, hard facts” from emotional entanglements.

Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Sense Motive checks.

Drawback: You take a –2 penalty on Bluff and Diplomacy checks.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait are likely to be rather unemotional, but they may be passionate about the importance of factual information and logic.

Passionate

You are made of tougher stuff that the average person, but you are highly suggestible.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Fortitude saves.

Drawback: You take a –1 penalty on Will saves.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be gruff and place extreme value on overcoming physical obstacles, or conversely, their weakness against magical enchantments might leave them fascinated and fearful of such things.

Plucky

You have a strength of will not reflected in your limited physical gifts.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Will saves.

Drawback: You take a –1 penalty on Fortitude saves.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be annoyingly positive-minded, or they might only show their mental resilience in times of dire need.

Polite

You are courteous and well spoken.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Diplomacy checks.

Drawback: You take a –2 penalty on Intimidate checks.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be honestly polite and kind, or they might simply be adept at mimicking social conventions to get what they want.

Quick

You are fast, but less sturdy than average members of your race.

Benefit: Your base land speed increases by 10 feet (if you don’t have a land speed, apply the benefit to whichever of your speeds is highest).

Drawback: Subtract 1 from your hit points gained at each level, including 1st (a result of 0 is possible).

Special: You must have a Constitution of 4 or higher to select this trait.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait typically try to stay away from physical combat, but a rare few might relish it, striving to see if their superior speed is enough to best hardier warriors.

Reckless

You naturally sacrifice accuracy to put more power behind your blows.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on damage rolls after successful melee attacks.

Drawback: You take a –1 penalty on melee attack rolls.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might be loudly passionate about entering combat and overcoming foes through strength of arms, or they might by quiet and so desperate to avoid confrontation that they put extra effort into every blow in an attempt to end the encounter more quickly.

Relentless

You don’t know the meaning of the word “tired”. You go all out until you simply can’t continue.

Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Constitution checks and similar checks made to continue tiring activities (see the entry for the Endurance feat in Chapter Three of the d20 Modern roleplaying game).

Drawback: Any effect or condition that would normally cause you to become fatigued instead causes you to become exhausted.

Roleplaying Ideas: Character with this trait may see others as soft or weak, especially anyone who complains about being tired or fatigued. They might openly scoff at other’s weaknesses or might quietly encourage them to “tough it out”.

Specialized

You have a knack for one kind of work or study, but other tasks are harder for you to accomplish.

Benefit: Choose one specific Craft, Knowledge, or Profession skill. You gain a +1 bonus on checks using the specified skill.

Drawback: You take a –2 penalty on all other checks using the same skill (Craft, Knowledge, or Profession, based on the skill chosen).

Strange Luck

You have the weirdest luck.

Benefit: When rolling a die purchased with an action point to improve a d20 roll, if you achieve the highest number possible on the die (generally a natural 6 on a d6), you re-roll that die, adding the second number you roll to the previous result. Do not re-roll a single die more than once. So, if you roll a 6 on a d6 action point die, and then re-roll it, getting a 4, the total value of the die roll becomes 10, resulting in a +10 bonus to the die roll the action point die was intended to modify.

Drawback: When rolling a die purchased with an action point to improve a d20 roll, if you roll a natural 1, you re-roll that die, adding the second number you roll to the previous 1. The total result is applied as a penalty to the roll the action point die was intended to modify. Do not re-roll a single die more than once. So, if you roll a 1 on a d6 action point die, and then re-roll it, getting a 3, the total value of the die roll becomes –4, resulting in a –4 penalty to the die roll the action point die was intended to modify.

Roleplaying Ideas: Characters with this trait might bemoan the fickle nature of lady luck, or they may simply think life is this mercurial for everyone.