Who counts as kin
The game uses one check for kin, and it is broader than a family tree. Two heroes are kin if any of these is true:
- they share a recorded kin bond (siblings and the like);
- they come from the same bloodline;
- they carry the same family name.
The last rule means two unrelated recruits who happen to share a surname count as family for this trait.
What the trait does with them
After every delve. A Kin-Proud hero gains +3 morale if anyone else in that delve’s party is their kin. One relative is enough, and more do not add more.
On quests. Every hero gets a suitability bonus on a quest headed to a region where they have kin: +6% to that hero’s share of the party’s strength for the job. For a Kin-Proud hero the bonus is doubled to +12%, which is more than any single liked trait gives (+5%). It counts for the region they are going to, so it depends on where the hero’s people live.
Nothing happens when no kin are involved. On a roster with no relatives, the trait never fires.
Why +3 morale is worth chasing
Morale never recovers on its own. Wins, fair pay and the occasional good event are the only ways up, and the ways down are many (see hero state). A steady +3 after every shared delve adds up over a season to a cushion of 30 points or more for a hero who plays most fixtures. That cushion keeps them above 45, where heroes start to look unhappy to rival scouts, and well away from 25, where an ordinary hero may refuse to be selected at all.
Building around it
- Sign relatives. When the tavern or youth intake offers a hero with the same family name or bloodline as a Kin-Proud member, the pair is worth more than either hero alone.
- Field them together. The delve bonus only counts if both are in the same party, so plan the rotation around keeping them side by side.
- Use regional quests. Check where the hero’s kin live before assigning quests; a doubled kin bonus on the right region is worth more than most liked traits.
- Play the long game. Guilds that last long enough to see heroes found bloodlines gain more and more kin, which makes Kin-Proud stronger every decade.
How it leads
At a dungeon fork, a Kin-Proud leader chooses for the hall, like Loyal, Oathbound, Dutiful and Thrifty leaders. If the treasury is low they always take a treasure side room and never any other; otherwise they always take the “Lair” of a named foe. They never take the Sealed Door.
Earning it
Kin-Proud can be earned. A hero who keeps a kin vow and then swears it again gains the trait, with the usual kept-vow rewards of +15 morale and +3 loyalty.
Small hooks
Quest reports have Kin-Proud lines, and on pair duty the hero speaks with the “proud” voice shared with Arrogant, Vain, Glory Hunter, Ambitious and Big-Game Player. The hero card links the trait to Teamwork and Bravery; that link is descriptive and the attributes are unchanged.
Conflicts and rarity
There are no traits it cannot sit with. It pairs naturally with Companionable, since strong bonds and family ties tend to go together.
- Rarity: common, positive · draw weight 100 of 6,365 · about 1 recruit in 25
- Founding draft: any card.
- In the wiki’s archive: first present in the 2.1.8 build (absent from 2.0.7).
Recruiting
Close to neutral on a guild with no relatives, and a solid positive on one with an established family line. Check the roster for shared surnames and bloodlines before deciding what it is worth.