Species

Species is a Trait that represents how typical a character is for their species. For example, where a character with a low Species trait may struggle to use the skills and abilities that their species is generally known for, a character with a high stat in the Species trait may behave more like one of their feral cousins, relying heavily on their natural instincts and weapons to succeed in the world.

The selection of a species trait also determines many other things about a character including their size, diet, body type, appearance, primary senses, natural weapons, natural gifts and skills, and native homelands and habitats.

## Secondary Attributes Determined by Species

### Appearance and Body Type

Many of the physical traits that a character may have will be determined by their species. This includes how many limbs they have, whether they have feathers, fur, scales, or skin, where it is, and what color it is, their coat patterns, and their eye color.

### Diet

A throwback to the ways of their feral ancestors, the bodies of some Feralians have adaptations that require them to eat specific sorts of things in order to meet their nutritional needs.This attribute determines the types of foods that a character can benefit from eating from. There are three main diets that Feralians can follow: Carnivorous, Omnivorous, and Herbivorous.

A Carnivorous Feralian requires a primarily meat based diet to meet their nutritional needs. If they're unable to satisfy this need for too long a period of time, they will eventually begin to suffer negative health effects.

An Herbivorous Feralian requires a primarily plant based diet to meet their nutritional needs. If they're unable to satisfy this need for too long a period of time, they will eventually begin to suffer negative health effects.

An Omnivorous Feralian can gain full benefits from eating either meats or plant matter. They will not suffer negative health effects from eating certain kinds of food unless they are rotten, poisoned, or otherwise unsuitable for eating.

### Native Habitat

Many Feralians have special adaptations that make them well-suited for living in certain types of Environments. This attribute determines which Environments your species is most at home in.

You may claim your Species dice as bonus dice when making any roll while in this type of environment. If multiple options are listed on the species page, you will need to pick one of your choosing.

### Native Homeland

A species' native homeland is the place that their species is naturally from. While some species have a strong history of exploration and travel which has led their kind to have a wide distribution across the world, others largely only exist in a few very specific areas.

Each species lists the various continents that the species is found on. Characters may claim any country on on any of the continents listed in this section as their homeland. If there are multiple continents listed, they will need to pick one, then pick one of the countries located there. A character's culture and social gifts will correspond specifically to that region unless they also have the gift of Cosmopolitan. Their starting language should also be one of the ones local to the area.

In these modern times travel has become more commonplace and it isn't terribly unusual for a child to be born in an area that would be foreign for their species. If you would like to play a character of a species that grew up in an area where their species is not normally found, you will need to discuss it with your Game Host and take the Gift of Exotic Native at the start of the game. Game hosts are encouraged to allow this option as long is it is feasible that the species could've been living in the area.

### Natural Gifts

All species have a number of physical adapatations and natural abilities that help them survive in the harsh world of Feralis. These are represented by the three natural Gifts - abilities that nearly member of a species share in common.

If you have a character who, for one reason or another, has a species Gift that you feel does not suit them - whether it's a cat that has lost their ability to be Acrobatic due to the loss of a limb, or a dog that cannot small due to Anosmia - you may retrain their species Gifts in the normal manner in order to represent this. Note, however, that if you retrain a Species Gift, that other members of the character's species may look at them with scorn or pity and their maximum die size in the Species Trait will be limited to the following amounts:

* 1 Gift Retrained = Maximum of d8
* 2 Gifts Retrained = Maximum of d6
* 3 Gifts Retained = Maximum of d4

### Natural Skills

Feralian species come from a wide variety of backgrounds and have a wide variety of adaptations that help them succeed in the world. For those who fit the typical profile for their species, these adaptations can may them more likely to excel at certain tasks.

Whenever you are rolling one of the species' three natural skills, you may claim your Species dice as a bonus dice to the roll.

### Natural Weapons

Most Feralian species have some type of adaptation that they can use to defend themselves, a holdover from the harsher days of their ancestors that is often still quite viable today. These can range from the sharp fangs possessed by many Carnivorous Feralians, to the Antlers found on many cervine races, even to the strong Flippers of many sea-faring Feralians.

You can find the stats for all of these weapons on the list of Natural Weapons page.

Note that if you intend to have your character use their natural weapons as their primary form of attack and defense, it would be wise to pick up the Gift of Brawling Fighter so that you may Counter and Parry with them.

### Primary Senses

The various Feralian races view the world in many different ways. From the keen-eye Eagles, to the sharp-eared cats, each has different strengths and senses that they use to see the world around them.

A species primary senses represent the main senses that the species uses to observe things. Whenever a character is using one of their Primary Senses to Observe, the player may include their Species dice with the roll.

### Size

The sizes of Feralians can range greatly, with the smallest known Feralians standing under two feet in height and the largest standing as tall as twelve feet. Most Feralians stand somewhere between the two, with the average size falling somewhere between five and seven feet in height. This can greatly impact a character's experience in the world, especially if they're in an area that isn't built for someone of their size.

A character's size determines the following:

* The range rules that the character follows
* Whether the have any bonuses or penalties to their Evasion or Soak rolls
* What types of armor they can use effectively
* The weight and cost of their equipment
* The amount the character can carry before becoming Burdened or Overburdened

The biggest factor that determines the height of a character is their species. All species have at least one size category listed. Some species have a range listed - in which case you may play a character of any size between the two that are listed.

There are always cases of individuals with exceptional and unusual traits, however. You may also consider taking the Unusually Small or Unusually Large gifts during character creation to make your character one size smaller or larger than most others of their kind.

## Uses for Species

### Rolls

* Used with Observation rolls that use the character's Primary Senses
* Used with all rolls while the character is in their species' Natural Habitat
* Used with all rolls involving the species' three natural Skills

## Gifts that Improve Species

* Improved Trait: Species (Increases a species trait by one die size)