Rune Affinities determine how much damage a character does with a rune. Higher affinity means more damage, and a lower affinity means less damage. Suikoden II has one extra affinity, which makes the rune caster do more damage, but they also have a chance of backfiring. Rune Affinities in Suikoden 1 are still not determined, but are believed to be the same for all characters.