Species Traits

Traits are the signature abilities that make a character theirs — a named, evocative power, part fiction and part rule. Rhune has no stats; traits are the whole character layer. Your dice are the same as everyone's; your traits are what you bring to them.

Traits are inherited. They aren't gear, and they aren't learned — they're in the blood, part of what you are. You don't carry a trait; you have it. That's why none of them come with a signature item.

Lineage: the trait format is lifted from FIST. See traits.md for how traits work and how many you get.

The rule

Every trait has the same shape:

NAME: A line of fiction that states, in plain language, what the trait lets you do.
      The rule is embedded in the description — no separate mechanics block.

Traits work on three levers — in rough order of strength: narrative permission ("no roll needed"), the dice (ignore a 1, reroll, increment a die, upgrade a band), and effects (damage, healing, a follower, a resource). No trait grants advantage.

Bovine

(cattle, bison — sturdy, patient, enduring, stubborn)

UNSHAKEABLE: You plant your feet and don't move. You cannot be moved, knocked down, or pushed back by a shove, charge, or current — no roll needed.

HERD SENSE: You read a crowd like weather. When you Seek Insight about a group's mood, tension, or who's about to bolt, ask one extra question — even on a bust.

Canine

(wolves, dogs — pack, loyalty, scent, tireless)

KEEN NOSE: Your nose knows. When you Seek Insight by scent or track, you can ask "What happened here recently?" for free, even on a bust.

PACK TACTICS: You fight best beside an ally. When you Clash while a friend is engaged with the same foe, you may increment one die in the roll by 1.

Celerine

(rabbits, squirrels — quick, jumpy, nimble, hoarding)

STARTLE: You're all nerves, and it keeps you alive. The first time a threat appears in a scene, you may move, hide, or flee before it resolves — no roll needed.

CACHE: You've stashed things all over yourself. When you Have What You Need for a small item, you may reroll the d4 to see if you can skip the Preparation cost — you had it tucked away somewhere on your person all along.

Cervine

(elk — alert, majestic, wary, swift)

SWIVEL EARS: Nothing gets past you. You notice anything approaching before it becomes a threat — no roll needed — and you can hear a whisper across a quiet room.

BOUNDING STRIDE: You cover ground like the wind. When you Defy Danger by fleeing or leaping, you may increment one die in the roll by 1.

Equine

(horses, donkeys — strong, enduring, sure-footed, stubborn)

LONG STRIDE: You can travel farther and longer than anyone. When a journey requires you to Defy Danger through sheer endurance, you may increment one die in the roll by 1.

PACK MULE: You carry the weight so others don't have to. You may take the Heavy Load when you Outfit and ignore its drawbacks — you stay quick and quiet despite the burden.

Feline

(cats, big cats — stealth, grace, night, claws)

CATFALL: You always land on your feet. Once per session, when you fall, are thrown, or would take damage from a fall or collapse, take no damage and land steady.

SOFT PAWS: You move without sound. When you move with care, you leave no trace and make no noise, and you can slip into shadow unseen unless something is actively searching for you.

Laetine

(ferrets, otters — playful, agile, swimming, tunnelling, thieving)

SLIPPERY: You're impossible to hold. When you're grabbed, grappled, or confined, you can mark a debility to slip free immediately.

WATER-RAT: You're at home in the water. You swim as easily as you walk, hold your breath twice as long, and may increment one die in the roll by 1 when you Defy Danger in or around water.

Ligonine

(moles, armadillos, sloths — digging, armor, patience, the deep places)

BURROWER: You dig like the earth wants you to. Given time, you can tunnel through soil and loose rock — no roll needed — and you always know which way is up and where you came from underground.

THICK HIDE: You're armored where it counts. Gain +1 armor.

Murine

(mice, rats — small, quick, sneaky, resourceful)

SQUEEZE: You fit where no one else can. You can slip through any gap wider than your head — no roll needed.

CHEW: You gnaw through anything softer than iron given a little time — rope, wood, leather, even thin bars. No roll needed.

Ovine

(sheep — hardy, gentle, warm, long-memoried)

WARM AS WOOL: You endure the cold. You're never bothered by cold weather, and when you Make Camp in the cold, everyone with you is warmer for it.

FLOCK MEMORY: You have a memory for faces. You never forget a face you've met; when you Seek Insight about someone you've met before, ask one extra question.

Tenebrine

(raccoons, possums — clever, dexterous, night-dwellers, scavengers)

CLEVER PAWS: Your hands are quick and sure. You can pick a lock, palm an object, or work a knot — all without being noticed.

NIGHT EYES: You see in the dark. You see by starlight or embers as well as by day, and you may increment one die in the roll by 1 when you Defy Danger in darkness.

Ursine

(bears — strong, fierce, deep-sleeping, long-memoried)

CRUSHING GRIP: You grab and don't let go. When you get your hands on a foe, they must break free before they can act, and you deal +1d4 damage while you hold them.

POWER NAP: You can sleep anywhere, any time, and wake ready. A few hours counts as a full night for you, and nothing short of real danger wakes you.

Vulpine

(foxes — clever, cunning, quick, sly)

CUNNING: You always have an angle. When you Persuade by offering a clever deal or a half-truth, you may increment one die in the roll by 1.

BRUSH: You're hard to pin down. When you Defend by staying light and evasive, you can spend 1 Readiness to slip out of reach entirely — no attack lands this exchange.

Bat

(echolocation, flight, caves, hanging)

ECHO: When you tap a surface, snap your fingers, or clap, you hear the shape of the world around you — in darkness, you know where everything is within earshot. No roll needed, but you must make a sound to "see."

CLIMB: You can cling to and climb almost any surface, and sleep practically anywhere. You are extremely difficult to dislodge.

Dragon

(flight, claws, fang, pride)

WINGS: You have wings, and you can fly. You take to the air as easily as you walk — no roll needed — though not in a tight space, and not while carrying more than a light load.

NATURAL WEAPONS: You are a natural killer. When you Clash and would gain 1d6 bonus damage, gain 1d8 bonus damage instead.

Kobold

(small, scaled, tireless, cold, opportunistic)

OPPORTUNIST: You strike when they're weak. When you attack a foe who's already hurt, distracted, or fleeing, deal +1d4 damage.

COLD-BLOODED: You don't tire like warm-bloods. You can go days without sleep without penalty, and heat never bothers you.

Open questions