Species Gifts¶

Species Gifts represent specialized training, cultural techniques, or innate traits specific to each people of Kaernest. They allow characters to lean into what makes their species distinctive without requiring magical aptitude.

Prerequisite: You must be a member of the listed species to take these gifts.

Dazhdvog Gifts¶

Stone-Sense¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Dazhdvog You have learned to read vibrations and temperature shifts through solid surfaces. When touching stone, metal, or packed earth, you may ask one question about the structural integrity, recent disturbances, or hidden spaces within it. The GM will answer honestly based on what the material "remembers."

Thermal Vision Mastery¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Dazhdvog Your infrared vision extends beyond normal Dazhdvog capability. You can detect residual heat signatures (recent footprints, touched surfaces, warm objects behind thin barriers) and distinguish between different body temperatures to assess emotional state or illness.

Load-Bearing Endurance¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Dazhdvog Your body has been conditioned to carry weight the way stone bears load. When at Heavy Load, you may move as though at Standard Load for purposes of speed and agility, though other Heavy Load restrictions still apply.

Deep Breath¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Dazhdvog Through controlled breathing techniques, you can slow your metabolism and oxygen consumption. You can hold your breath for twice as long as normal, and gain advantage on saves against airborne toxins or thin air.

Unshakeable Stance¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Dazhdvog You have trained to root yourself like bedrock. Once per scene, when you would be knocked prone, pushed, or forcibly moved, you may choose to remain exactly where you are instead.

Memory Keeper¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Dazhdvog You have cultivated the Dazhdvog gift for precise recall. Once per session, you may perfectly remember a conversation, ritual, or set of instructions you witnessed, reciting it word-for-word even years later.

Fluvarri Gifts¶

Spirit-Touched Awareness¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Fluvarri Even without glamour magic, you can sense the presence and general mood of nearby spirits. You know when a place is watched, when water has memory, or when an old presence is paying attention—though you cannot command or bargain with them without magic.

Aquatic Grace¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Fluvarri You move through water as easily as walking. You can swim at your full movement speed, hold your breath for extended periods, and take no penalties for fighting while submerged or partially submerged.

Slow Water, Sudden Flood¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Fluvarri You have mastered the Fluvarri philosophy of patient observation followed by decisive action. Once per session, after taking no aggressive action for at least 2 rounds, your next physical or social action gains advantage.

Resin Craft¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Fluvarri You know how to work with Fluvarri resin—waterproofing, sealing, preserving, and creating temporary structures. You can craft watertight containers, patch boats, or create resin-based adhesives and preservatives without a roll.

Reflective Stillness¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Fluvarri By becoming perfectly still in or near water, you become extraordinarily difficult to notice. While motionless near a water source, you gain advantage on Stealth checks and may be mistaken for a natural feature of the environment.

Omen Reader¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Fluvarri You have learned to read patterns in water—ripples, currents, reflections. Once per session, you may study a body of water for several minutes and ask the GM one yes/no question about immediate danger or favorable conditions. The answer comes as intuition, not certainty.

Human Gifts¶

Adaptive Learner¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Human

Humans learn by immersion. When you spend significant time (at least one week) embedded in another species' community, you may adopt one minor cultural technique or practice they use, gaining advantage on related checks while among them.

Improvised Solution¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Human

Once per session, when lacking the proper tool or material for a task, you may cobble together a functional (if temporary) substitute from whatever is at hand. It works once, then breaks or degrades.

Cultural Chameleon¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Human

You have lived among multiple peoples and absorbed their mannerisms. You may adopt the basic behavioral patterns of any species you've spent time with, reducing social friction and blending in more easily—though you never fully pass as one of them.

Second Childhood¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Human

Humans mature faster than most species. You may have a full set of childhood memories and formative experiences in another species' culture, granting you one skill proficiency appropriate to that upbringing.

Restless Drive¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Human

Humans burn faster and brighter. Once per session, you may ignore the effects of exhaustion, fatigue, or Strain for one scene—but when it ends, all delayed consequences arrive at once.

Unbound by Tradition¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Human

When attempting something that violates tradition, established practice, or "how it's always been done," you gain advantage—your lack of cultural baggage makes the impossible merely difficult.

Kampanni Gifts¶

Practiced Flier¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Kampanni

You have honed your flight beyond basic capability. You can fly for extended periods without tiring, perform aerial maneuvers with precision, and carry loads while airborne that would ground less practiced Kampanni.

Storm-Born Instinct¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Kampanni

You can read incoming weather with uncanny accuracy. You always know when a storm is coming, how severe it will be, and the safest direction to fly. Gain advantage on any check to navigate or survive adverse weather.

Song-Weaver¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Kampanni

You know how to layer meaning, emotion, and memory into music. When you perform, you may convey complex information, shift group mood, or encode messages that only intended listeners understand—all without speaking a word.

Sky-Reader¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Kampanni

You have studied the omens your people revere. Once per session, you may observe the sky (stars, moons, clouds, birds) and ask the GM one question about favorable timing or dangerous paths. The answer comes as intuition, not certainty.

Lightning Reflexes¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Kampanni

Your species' connection to air and electricity has sharpened your reaction time. You gain advantage on Initiative rolls and on saves to avoid sudden dangers like traps, collapsing structures, or ambushes.

Flight Memory¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Kampanni

You never forget a route you've flown. You can retrace aerial paths even years later, navigate by landmarks visible only from above, and guide others through complex three-dimensional terrain without error.

Qnassi Gifts¶

Adaptive Transformation (Minor)¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Qnassi

Even without blood magic, your body responds to stress. Once per session, when facing extreme environmental conditions (heat, cold, pressure, thin air), your body may temporarily adapt—thickening skin, adjusting metabolism, or altering circulation—for the duration of the scene.

Predator's Patience¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Qnassi

You can remain motionless and alert for hours without discomfort. While lying in wait or stalking prey, you suffer no penalties from time, and gain advantage on Stealth and Perception checks related to ambush or tracking.

Desert Endurance¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Qnassi

Your body conserves water and regulates heat with exceptional efficiency. You can go twice as long without water, ignore penalties from extreme heat, and travel through desert terrain without the exhaustion that affects others.

Intimidating Presence¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Qnassi

Your size, stance, and intensity project threat without effort. When you deliberately choose to appear dangerous, gain advantage on Intimidation checks. Conversely, you may suppress this quality to seem less threatening when necessary.

Tail Balance¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Qnassi

Your tail is a powerful tool for balance and leverage. You gain advantage on checks to avoid being knocked prone, to climb, or to maintain footing on unstable surfaces. Your tail can also make unarmed trip attacks.

Blood-Scent Awareness¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Qnassi

You can smell blood, fear-sweat, and adrenaline with precision. You always know when someone nearby is injured, terrified, or preparing for violence—and can track wounded prey unerringly.

Sektarri Gifts¶

Feline Reflexes¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Sektarri

Your body naturally twists to avoid falls and impacts. When falling or knocked down, you always land on your feet unless critically incapacitated, and reduce fall damage by one step.

Retractable Claws¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Sektarri

Your claws are weapons when you need them. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 slashing damage instead of bludgeoning, and you gain advantage on climbing checks involving stone, wood, or rough surfaces.

Low-Light Expertise¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Sektarri

Your vision in dim conditions is exceptional even by Sektarri standards. You suffer no penalties in low light, can read fine text by candlelight, and notice details others miss in shadow.

Imperial Bearing¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Sektarri

You carry yourself with the expectation of obedience. When dealing with bureaucracy, social hierarchy, or formal structures, you gain advantage on checks to command respect, bypass obstacles, or assert authority.

Heat-Adapted Metabolism¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Sektarri

You thrive in heat that exhausts others. You ignore penalties from high temperatures, require less water, and can work efficiently in desert conditions that would incapacitate most species.

Silent Stalker¶

(1cc/5xp)
Prerequisite: Sektarri

Your feline physiology allows near-silent movement. When moving slowly and deliberately, you gain advantage on Stealth checks, and even quick movements are quieter than normal.