As far as I am aware they are the only monster with an any alignment trait at all, rather than just an alignment. Not even deamons have the evil trait, they are just NE, it feels weird that rune giants got singled out here.
It is strange that they're unique that way.
No reason is given that I can see as to why they have the trait. It's likely because they are Evil to their core, which might tie back to their origins as a created species. The Runelords made them, and that gang represented/exalted the classic deadly sins, so maybe infused the Rune Giants with sin. Then again, Sinspawn don't have the trait...
So it could be tied to the runes & "eldritch powers"?
Maybe w/o the trait they'd lose all that, become a whole new creature?
I don't think the answer's available to players, a "Rules" question, but rather one of Golarion lore or personal preference. It is odd Fiends don't have the trait, though the description of them is straightforward about them being linked to evil. So would giving fiend the trait be redundant? What does it mean for a creature to be Evil vs. evil?
While extremely rare (yet oddly common in actual adventures) redeemed fiends are a thing. Maybe redeemed Rune Giants aren't and never can be?
Unless a story needs there to be one of course. :)
So dunno. Maybe go to the Ask James Jacobs thread.
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Technically any creature that isn't neutral has alignment traits:
If your alignment has any components other than neutral, your character gains the traits of those alignment components.
The trait being explicit sounds like a minor editing issue?
Technically any creature that isn't neutral has alignment traits:
If your alignment has any components other than neutral, your character gains the traits of those alignment components.The trait being explicit sounds like a minor editing issue?
It's an editing issue. Demons don't have the "evil" trait, but they are CE.
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But Daemons, Demons and Devils all have the Fiend Trait and in the monster creation rules it states that the Fiend trait adds the Evil trait to the creature.
So any creature with that is a fiend is also an evil creature.
Here is the link.
https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=1039
But Daemons, Demons and Devils all have the Fiend Trait and in the monster creation rules it states that the Fiend trait adds the Evil trait to the creature.
So any creature with that is a fiend is also an evil creature.
Here is the link.
https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=1039
As Sigfried mcWild pointed out, everyone with non-neutral alignments has those traits. The weird thing about the Rune Giants is that their Bestiary entry has the Evil Tag. Demons, devils, angels, etc. don't have alignment Tags. It's probably an accidental, and unnecessary, inclusion for the Rune Giants.
Why do people think it's accidental? (Not saying it mustn't be, yet I'm seeing no evidence other than it being unique.)
Paizo may either be saying Rune Giants are so often evil we tagged them, except they're not Fiends. Unlike say Hill Giants which are usually evil, yet have lots of exceptions. Or Paizo might be saying there's enough Evil in a Rune Giant's blood/origins/eldritch runes that they count as Evil even if they have a different alignment (in much the same way some redeemed fiends have in the past or non-evil characters under the effects of some spells).
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If that were the case Daemons would all have that trait. They are the literal embodiment of Evil after all.
If you have the evil alignment you have the evil trait. It's inherently tied to your alignment, and doesn't need to be stated twice in a creature's stat block. Keeping it on Rune Giants means nothing, and changes nothing mechanically.
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I think Rune Giants are kind of a unique case among Giants. Whereas most Giants are ostensibly natural, the Rune Giants were created via thassilonian sin magic. As mentioned upthread, a lot of outsider tags include an alignment tag. Adding one to demons would be redundant. Doing so to Rune Giants, however, is not.
If that were the case Daemons would all have that trait. They are the literal embodiment of Evil after all.
If you have the evil alignment you have the evil trait. It's inherently tied to your alignment, and doesn't need to be stated twice in a creature's stat block. Keeping it on Rune Giants means nothing, and changes nothing mechanically.
One, demons have the Fiend trait, which qualifies enough.
As you say later, why list it twice.Two, alignment gives you the trait. That'd been noted before, but in this case if a specific Rune Giant doesn't have an evil alignment, they still retain the Evil trait. So there is a difference mechanically (albeit for non-evil corner cases that may not exist yet or ever.)
Unfortunately this does lead to the conundrum of those exceptional non-evil Rune Giants having their non-evil alignment and the trait saying they have an evil alignment too. Whichever way serves the narrative wins.
Rune Giants did not even have the evil subtype in PF1. Every creature I've found so far that had this subtype has now been given the fiend trait, whether they are what I think of as 'true' fiends (former outsiders, weak to good damage, resident of evil planes) or merely have the essence of a fiend (nightmares, night hags, hell hounds)
It makes more sense that the evil trait on rune giants is a mistake rather than that rune Giants are the only creatures in the game to have an alignment trait written explicitly in their statblock, rather than merely be implied like every other creature, and also not have the fiend trait which would do precisely the same thing with regards to evil association that registers regardless of alignment.
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If that were the case Daemons would all have that trait. They are the literal embodiment of Evil after all.
If you have the evil alignment you have the evil trait. It's inherently tied to your alignment, and doesn't need to be stated twice in a creature's stat block. Keeping it on Rune Giants means nothing, and changes nothing mechanically.
One, demons have the Fiend trait, which qualifies enough.
As you say later, why list it twice.Two, alignment gives you the trait. That'd been noted before, but in this case if a specific Rune Giant doesn't have an evil alignment, they still retain the Evil trait. So there is a difference mechanically (albeit for non-evil corner cases that may not exist yet or ever.)
Unfortunately this does lead to the conundrum of those exceptional non-evil Rune Giants having their non-evil alignment and the trait saying they have an evil alignment too. Whichever way serves the narrative wins.
I specifically mentioned Daemons, because Daemons are described as being embodiments of Evil and Death. If the Fiend trait adds the Evil trait, why isn't it listed? Why is the Fiend trait enough, but an Evil alignment isn't?
The Evil Trait also specifically says that a creature with it has an Evil alignment. If the trait is intentional, Rune Giants mechanically can not be non-Evil. That very well could be the case here, but the fact that Rune Giants are the ONLY creature with the trait makes me believe it was accidental.
Doing so to Rune Giants, however, is not.
Strictly speaking, adding an alignment trait to anyone is redundant, because the traits come with your alignment.
The only mechanical feature of explicitly including the tag would be that a Rune Giant counts as evil regardless of its actual alignment. That could be the point, but would be pretty odd if it is, especially since it's a wholly unique feature.
I say so because implies an intrinsic evil, rather than being just evil morally. That's my take.
