As you size up the wizard, his frail frame barely able to lift his sword, he swings awkwardly, catching you off guard with a deceptively strong blow you previously thought impossible from a man of his build.

You have spent your whole life trying to mask an inherent weakness. Through countless hours of training you have managed to eliminate this weakness altogether and perhaps even turn it into a strength. You may substitute one aspect of an ability score for which you possess a negative modifier (i.e. a score of 9 or below) and instead substitute a +1 modifier to one aspect which that stat governs. This may be to attack rolls, damage rolls, a saving throw, or two skills. If the character chooses hit points or armor class, they instead lessen the penalty by one.

Author's Note: This trait is designed to lessen the penalty a low roll imposes. It is inspired by an AD&D 1st Edition idea that it is not unreasonalbe for characters possessing a low stat to be competent in an aspect that stat governs.

Once per month you can gain the benefit of the clairaudience/clairvoyance spell, and you treat your caster level as half your character level. This ability only comes to you in your dreams.

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You either grew up surrounded by literature on a certain subject (or experts in a certain field), or you have just spent most of your life around a certain subject of study. Regardless, you have a natural knack for a certain field of study. Choose 1 Knowledge skill. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge checks of this nature, and it is always a class skill for you.

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Your compulsive drinking habit has built up your body against intoxication. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Fortitude saves against poisons, and a +3 trait bonus to Fortitude saves to resist the effects of alcohol. (Unfortunately, this bonus cannot be foregone.)

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One of the key areas on which your apprenticeship or other training focused was investigation, particularly the importance of attention to details; throughout the lessons, you were consistently at the top of the class. You can tell the difference between an Osirian hieroglyph and a symbol of sleep at thirty paces, and that fact as kept you alive on more than one occasion. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perception checks, and it is always a class skill for you.

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Mystic studies have always been a passion for you, and you spent many an hour during your training years wondering what strange and wondrous treasures might still lie in a dusty tomb or Darklands cavern, waiting to be found – waiting for you to find them. Let others have the gold and gems; you know where the real power is. In preparation, you taught yourself the necessary techniques to separate out the unique discoveries from the ordinary dross. Once per day, you can cast identify as a spell-like ability (caster level 1st).

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Not long before you set out to become an adventurer, you experienced a powerful vision that dramatically impacted your life, setting you on the course you follow today. Whether it was through a wizard’s spell, a witch’s fortunetelling or a shaman’s vision quest, your eyes were opened to the possibilities of your future, and the echoes of that experience still guide you today. Whenever you gain an insight bonus on a skill or attack roll, you also gain a +1 trait bonus to the skill or attack roll.

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Some of your fellow adventurers say that you are paranoid; you usually retort that paranoids tend to live the longest. Regardless, you have trained yourself to be ready for action on a moment’s notice, no matter the situation. You gain a +1 trait bonus to initiative checks and a +1 trait bonus to Reflex saves against traps.

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Though you may not have chosen to follow the lifelong path of the warrior, you have nonetheless undergone some training in fighting. Your teachers often praised your ability to choose the right time for your actions, exploiting weaknesses and waiting for the perfect moment. You gain a +1 trait bonus to attack and damage rolls whenever you make an attack as a readied action.

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During your youthful training, you learned one lesson particularly well: knowledge is power. This is particularly true when it applies to knowing the weaknesses of others. As a result, you spent much time in the greatest libraries you could find, reading up on all the various monstrosities you might one day encounter during your adventures. Choose two Knowledge skills. You gain a +2 trait bonus to checks made to identify a creature using one of those skills.

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