Player characters in Dune: Adventures in the Imperium are a cut above most people. They are those who are the most definitively human, those whose discernment and judgment overrule base instinct. In short, they are those most fit to hold positions of status, and to shape the existences of others with their deeds.

Each character is composed of several elements, which serve to represent and define who the character is and how they interact with the worlds they inhabit. These elements are described in the following sections.

Personal Traits

A character has two traits, which are essential descriptions of the character. These traits provide a context for a character’s actions, influencing the difficulty of the tasks they attempt, and they help you and the gamemaster determine what is possible or impossible for the character to attempt. In this way, they are no different than the traits the gamemaster describes when they set a new scene, described in Chapter 5: Core Rules.

A character’s first trait is normally their title, status, or role in society. A character’s place in society shapes how they move through society, and influences what they can and cannot do. A character’s first trait should always mention the House to which the character belongs or serves. Examples include ‘Duke of House Atreides’, ‘House Atreides’ Master of Assassins’, or ‘Consort to Duke Leto Atreides’.

A character’s second trait is more personal, taking the form of the character’s reputation such as ‘Just and Wise’ or ‘Callous and Ruthless’. It is how the character is perceived by others, and thus influences how others approach and regard them, for better or worse.

These two traits paint a very basic picture of who the character is and how they fit into the Known Universe. Think of these as being the way you’d describe the character to a person out of game. They are the foremost details about who the character is.

Occasionally, a character may have a third trait; this might reflect a secondary affiliation or loyalty, which may pull the character in a different direction or denote another source of connections and status, such as ‘Suk Doctor’, or ‘Mentat Conditioning’, or ‘Bene Gesserit Sister’.

Skills

Of course, characters are more than just their position and their drives. Accomplishments come from action, and action requires capability. A character’s training and expertise are necessary parts of what allows them to influence the world around them.

Each character has a rating in each of five skills, which are described below. Skills contribute to a character’s tests, and they define what a character is doing when they act. Each skill is rated from 4 to 8, and the more proficient a character is, the higher the skill is rated.

Battle

Battle describes a character’s skill at arms, their awareness of danger, their understanding of tactics and strategy, and their knowledge of the tools, techniques, and history of combat.

• Use Battle when you fight, when you seek to avoid danger, when you plan a battle, and when you try to recall some fact about the methods or history of conflict.

Communicate

Communicate describes a character’s ability to skillfully engage in conversations, discussions, and debates. It encompasses the use of implication, innuendo, subtext, and context to convey or hide intent and to read those methods when others use them.

• Use Communicate when you attempt to persuade or deceive others, when you need to convey meaning through implication and subtle means, when you need to understand what others are truly trying to say, and when you need to detect attempts by others to use these methods.

Discipline

Discipline describes a character’s ability to influence and control their own mind and body (overruling instincts and autonomic functions) as well as their ability to exert direct, overt influence over others through presence, force of will, and the power of authority. It also allows a character to focus and concentrate on a complex task, such as picking a lock.

• Use Discipline when attempting to resist attempts to subvert body or mind, such as poisons, drugs, or mental influence, as well as to suppress instincts and reflexes when subjected to extreme pain or hardship, or to compel or threaten others through presence and authority alone.

Move

Move describes a character’s mobility, their ability to maneuver around an environment quickly or carefully, and their ability to overcome physical obstacles.

• Use Move to walk, run, jump, climb, swim, or otherwise maneuver in situations where speed, precision, stealth, or care are necessary, or when you need to exert physical force in ways other than fighting.

Understand

Understand describes a character’s ability to take in and process information, and to recall and apply that knowledge effectively at a later point. It also includes logical deduction and intuitive comprehension of situations, forming conclusions from perceived facts, as well as in-depth comprehension of academic, technical, or scientific knowledge.

• Use Understand when attempting to discern details about the situation around you, to search an area thoroughly and effectively, to perform research, to recall things you have learned in the past, to reach conclusions and deductions from the things you know and have learned, and to be able to apply your knowledge and available data in practical ways.

Focuses

A character’s skills are broad, and each character has a selection of focuses which allow you to demonstrate their specialties and the kinds of advanced expertise that comes with specialized training or hard-won experience.

Focuses increase a character’s chances of scoring a critical success on tests using that skill, in circumstances where that focus applies. There is no singular, fixed list of focuses. Focuses can be chosen freely during character creation, for there are innumerable areas of expertise and specializations.

In play, while you receive focuses for particular skills, they may be used on any skill test where they might reasonably be appropriate: the skill a focus is listed alongside is simply the skill most likely to use that focus. Where a focus requires you to specify something in particular (all marked with a *) you may only apply your focus to that particular choice. But you may take the focus multiple times to have a collection of different specialties (such as picking Music twice to play two instruments). Focuses do not need to be attached to the highest skills a character has. They may also be used with any skill.

Example Battle Focuses

• Assassination (attempting to get close to attack a target)
• Atomics (use and understanding of atomic weapons)
• Dirty Fighting (brawling and fighting with improvised weapons)
• Dueling (duel etiquette and technique)
• Evasive Action (dodging and avoiding blows)
• Lasgun (use of laser weapons)
• Long Blades (use of swords)
• Pistols (use of pistols)
• Rifles (use of rifles)
• Shield fighting (using shields and bypassing them)
• Short Blades (use of knives)
• Sneak Attacks (ambush attacks)
• Strategy (battlefield conflict)
• Tactics (small scale unit conflict)
• Unarmed Combat (fighting without a weapon)

Example Communicate Focuses

• Acting (pretending to be something you are not)
• Bartering (reducing the cost of a good or service)
• Charm (befriending others and appearing trustworthy)
• Deceit (lying and plotting)
• Diplomacy (negotiating a deal)
• Disguise (appearing to be something you are not)
• Empathy (understanding the emotional responses of others)
• Gossip (knowing commonly discussed rumors in your local area)
• Innuendo (implying something without saying it, often to communicate a plot to only a few people in earshot)
• Inspiration (using a spark or artistic ability to create something)
• Interrogation (eliciting information from a target, subtly or with threats)
• Intimidation (forcing another to back down)
• Linguistics (languages and the study of the nature of language)
• Listening (overhearing quiet sounds and hidden conversations)
• Music* (specify a particular instrument: harp, baliset, drum, etc)
• Neurolinguistics (planting an idea in someone without their knowledge)
• Persuasion (getting someone to agree to a particular action)
• Secret Language* (specify which faction’s secret language you know)
• Teaching (the ability to explain things quickly and simply)

Example Discipline Focuses

• Command (giving orders and getting them followed)
• Composure (staying calm in a stressful situation)
• Espionage (spycraft, intelligence gathering, following a target)
• Infiltration (gaining access to an area or faction)
• Observe (paying attention to a person or area to gain intelligence)
• Precision (performing a complex task dexterously)
• Resolve (resisting environmental danger)
• Self-Control (remaining in control of your feelings or actions)
• Survival* (specific to an environment: Desert, Jungle, Arctic, Urban, etc.)

Example Move Focuses

• Acrobatics (tumbling and swinging)
• Body Control (lowering heart rate, slowing breathing, etc.)
• Climb (climbing surfaces)
• Dance (knowing how to dance and performing as a dancer)
• Distance Running (running a marathon)
• Drive (operating a ground vehicle)
• Escaping (freeing yourself of bonds)
• Grace (moving with poise and style)
• Pilot* (specific type of craft)
• Stealth (moving without being seen)
• Swift (moving quickly)
• Swim (swimming in any environment)
• Unobtrusive (staying hidden when in plain sight)
• Worm Rider (calling and riding a worm - Fremen only)

Example Understand Focuses

• Advanced Technology (making repairs and crafting machines)
• Botany (study of plants)
• CHOAM Bureaucracy (understanding CHOAM legal systems and operations)
• Cultural Studies (understanding non-Imperium cultures)
• Danger Sense (knowing when a situation feels wrong)
• Data Analysis (collating and cross-referencing information)
• Deductive reasoning (making assumptions based on current information)
• Ecology (understating of planetary ecological systems)
• Emergency Medicine (first aid and basic life saving)
• Etiquette (knowing the rules of good society)
• Faction Lore* (specify Bene Gesserit, Spacing Guild, Tleilaxu, etc.)
• Genetics (the study of genetic data)
• Geology (the study of rocks and land)
• House Politics (understanding the history and relationship between the Houses)
• Imperial Politics (the state, history, and organization of the Imperial court)
• Infectious Diseases (understanding disease)
• Kanly (knowledge of the accepted forms of vendetta)
• Philosophy (knowing how to debate philosophical thought)
• Physical Empathy (understanding a person’s state from their body language)
• Physics (the physical systems of the universe)
• Poison (the study, effects, and use of poisons)
• Psychiatry (knowing the human mind)
• Religion (understanding the Orange Catholic bible and the study of religion in general)
• Smuggling (knowing the best ways to evade customs authorities)
• Surgery (performing surgical techniques)
• Traps (constructing and avoiding physical traps and explosive devices)
• Virology (the study of viruses and immunology)

Drives

A character’s inner life motivates and defines their actions. A character’s drives, thus, shape the things they do, and how successful they are at those things. A character is more likely to succeed when they believe strongly in something, and less likely when they are indifferent. But those strong drives can also lead a character into trouble or lead them to take ill-advised actions.

Each character has a rating in each of five drives, which are described below. Drives are added to a character’s skills to derive the target number when they attempt a test. But they also define why a character is taking action, and what drives them to succeed. A character’s most important drive is rated 8. The second-most is rated at 7, then the rest at 6, 5, and 4.

Which drive applies to a test is usually defined by which drive statement applies to the action. But sometimes players may wish to speed up play by directly selecting the right drive and looking to see if its statement applies.

Duty

Duty is the pressure upon a character to find their place in society and fulfill their allotted role, but also the weight of obligations and personal responsibilities.

• Use Duty when it is your character’s responsibility to get the job done, and when others are counting on the character to succeed. This might be in service to their House or the people under their command.

Faith

Faith is the moral expectation of religion and a character’s spiritual needs. It shows their dedication to a higher power and the guiding hand of destiny. But a high Faith drive does not always mean a religious or spiritual dedication, as some place their faith in their faction or friends as much as the will of God.

• Use Faith when the character has a moral imperative to take action, whether from their religion or personal values. This might also be used to rely on luck or a last-minute plan for an action to succeed. 

Justice

Justice is a drive toward balance and fairness, but also the will to redress injustices. It often serves the law and the common good, but it can just as easily uphold bad laws and be used as an excuse for revenge.

• Use Justice when doing the action is simply the right thing to do, legally if not morally. This might be when the character is enforcing the law, when they are meting out punishment on behalf on their House, or even when taking revenge.

Power

Power is the pursuit of greater influence, authority, or control over the universe around them. It is the character’s ego, representing their belief in their own moral authority and their right to take what they want.

• Use Power when doing the action serves the character’s agenda in some way, either directly or indirectly. Self-serving actions need not always take from others and might even require sacrifice (for a greater reward), but they are never entirely altruistic.

Truth

Truth is the desire for knowledge and the need to uncover or define that which is true. It is dedicated to revealing the right answers, even if they are uncomfortable or even dangerous.

• Use Truth when the character’s curiosity has got the better of them, or when they absolutely must know the answer to enhance their own knowledge and understanding. It is also useful when uncovering secrets.

Players often try and pick their highest drive as often as possible. This is perfectly fine, as their character will naturally try to play to their strength. But the gamemaster may decide this makes them predictable and grant their enemies an appropriate bonus. Sometimes the gamemaster may also rule that certain situations insist on certain drives, or even preclude them.

A drive being important (and thus having a high rating) can be either positive or negative: a character with a Truth rating of 8 may be scrupulously honest, or they may seek to impose their own version of the truth upon others or control what others know.

Drive Statements

For each drive with a rating of 6 or higher, you define a single statement. This is a short sentence explaining what the character feels about that drive. Characters don’t have drive statements for their lower-rated drives, because they don’t feel strongly enough about those things.

Some example drive statements are below, for each drive:

Example Duty Statements

• “People are the true strength of a Great House.”
• “I serve at the pleasure of the House.”
• “Humans live best when each has their place.”
• “Acceptance of place is the death of freedom.”
• “Those above offer duty to those below.“
• “I know my responsibilities.“
• “Duty is a sharp blade.“
• “What must be done, must be done.“

Example Faith Statements

• “My faith gives me certainty where others might doubt.”
• “Faith is merely obedience to the myths of the past.”
• “God will deliver me to whatever fate is mine.”
• “Machines are things of corruption.“
• “I trust my heart, not my head.“
• “Our trials are how God tests us.“
• “Those who doubt my faith will be proved wrong.“
• “God has forgotten us for we are not worthy.“

Example Justice Statements

• “I must shield those in my care.”
• “I will get revenge on those who have wronged me.”
• “I have no patience for those who complain that life is unfair.”
• “What we do will return to us.“
• “Life isn’t fair.“
• “Justice is what you can get away with.“
• “Justice is only for the wealthy.“
• “Everyone should be treated equally.“

Example Power Statements

• “Power must be used wisely and cleverly.”
• “The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it.”
• “All power invites challenge.”
• “Those who have true power need seldom wield it.”
• “Power attracts those who are corruptible.”
• “Power comes at a knife’s edge.“
• “I will have what is owed to me.“
• “Strength is nothing without grace.“

Example Truth Statements

• “Respect for the truth comes close to being the basis for all morality.”
• “I decide what is true.”
• “I seek to uncover the many secrets of the universe.”
• “If I do not know it, it is irrelevant.”
• “The purpose of argument is to change the nature of truth.”
• “What one wishes were true is seldom so.”
• “You will know me by my deeds.“
• “Truth is the first casualty of war.“

If a character wishes to use a drive which has an accompanying drive statement, then their action must align with the statement. If a character attempts to use a drive with a statement that clashes with the action they’re attempting, then they may suffer complications or be required to give up that drive statement, as described in Chapter 5: Core Rules.

Ambition

The ability to form goals beyond the immediate, visceral needs of life is a powerful part of human nature, and those who harness this ability to aspire, who can suppress their short-term desires in service to greater achievements, are those who prosper in a ruthless universe.

As a result, each player character has an ambition which guides their long-term actions. A character who takes steps to achieve their ambitions becomes more capable, able to influence others or impose their wills more effectively.

A character’s ambition is a short phrase describing their ultimate goal or desire, and it is defined by their highest-rated drive at the time of character creation. Your gamemaster will work with you to define one for your character.

• Duty ambitions are about service to a cause or group, discovering or understanding one’s place in the universe, or freedom from the strictures and responsibilities that constrain you.
• Faith ambitions are zealous crusades, spiritual fulfillment, matters of prophecy or destiny, or attempts to undermine or destroy those things.
• Justice ambitions are driven by a sense of fairness or balance, or a desire to right wrongs and injustices… including personal grudges and vendettas.
• Power ambitions are about gaining influence or status, taking those things from others, manipulating those with influence or status, or changing the ways that people gain influence or status.
• Truth ambitions often include uncovering knowledge or revealing secrets, concealing knowledge or protecting secrets, spreading knowledge (including propaganda or misinformation), or exposing the lies of others.

A character’s ambition can change over time. If a character’s highest-rated drive changes, then you may change the character’s ambition as well. You don’t have to make this change if you don’t want to—a person’s goals may remain the same even as their worldview shifts—but if the drive which the ambition was based on ever drops to less than 6 (and thus loses its statement), you must change the ambition.