Runes of Power

Runes are a form of magic open to all professions and races. They unlock the power within symbols, and can be extremely beneficial to all.

Runes are not learned in a column format, but each level of Rune Magic is learned individually much like Ritual magic, or most skills.

Runes fall into four categories, each with its own function and type of power. These four categories are Armor, Body, Shield, and Weapon Runes.

• Armor Runes much like armor itself fall into those runes which protect the bearer from harm. Therefore, the most common form of these runes absorb incoming attacks.
• Body Runes enhance one’s person, and tend to be those runes which makes a person stronger or more resilient.
• Shield Runes also protect the bearer, but rather then absorb harmful effects like armor they block these effects from ever taking place, much like a shield would block a sword.
• Weapon Runes are those which enhance the bearer’s ability to do damage. They are Runes built for war and combat, born to inflict harm to others.

Runes must be applied to correct type of item to be effective. They must be visible and represented by at least a 2”x2” sized mark. Each Rune has its own symbolism, and these stay constant from rune bearer to rune bearer, such that a person should be able to identify the types of runes someone has inscribed.

Runes are inscribed on an item, which takes one minute to do, and then remain dormant on that item until activated or the end of the event whichever comes first. Only one rune of each type may be inscribed at a time on the appropriate item. For example, Bob the Marauder has an axe with a Rune of War on it. He could not then have a second weapon Rune placed on his Axe till after he activates the Rune of War and its duration has expired, unless he is a Rune Master.

Runes take a minute to inscribe, and last until they are activated. A Rune user may only activate those runes they have personally inscribed, and they are the only ones who gain any benefit from those runes. If Bob from above dropped his axe after activating his rune of war and then Swipe the rogue grabbed it and started using Bob’s axe against him. Swipe would gain no benefit from Bob’s Rune of War on his axe.

This leads to some very interesting choices to be made as a Rune bearer can only have 1 of each level of Runes, and they must choose which rune they want to use and on which item. Rune Master skill will allow a person, who inscribes Runes to learn a second column of Runes and even to have 2 Runes of each type active on the appropriate type of item, but they may not gain double benefit from a rune type nor can they use two of the same rune on an item.

Example: Ron the Runemaster decides he wants to go all out in this combat. He cannot combine a Rune of War and a Rune of Strife together as they both deal direct damage, but he could combine a Rune of Flame and a Rune of Strife.

Runes may be placed on a 2”x2” piece of tape to be easily removed and to easily be seen on an item or a person’s body. Remember a Rune may not be concealed and must be clearly visible at all times.

There are even more powerful magics than Runes. Once a Rune Master has completed their second column of Runes, they may begin to attempt to expand their knowledge into Glyphs. Glyphs protect portals and closures, and as such are most commonly found on doors and chests. Even more powerful are Sigils, which cannot even be attempted until Glyphs have been mastered the same manner as Runes. Glyphs protect an area, such as a room, clearing or circle. In both cases the knowledge of Glyphs and Sigils must be located by research done in play, and they are not common enough knowledge to be listed here, but instead are each individually discovered, much like Ritual Magics, or Grand Master Recipes.