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Rune History

Rune stones had a humble beginning in dwarven culture. The first rune carving acted as a protection for the interred; however, after further practice, the power of orgomn (sometimes called mana) that could be trapped within the runic symbols found its way to other uses.

The base skill of rune magic is a bit formulaic but also requires some understanding of mineralogy, as well as dexterous craftsmanship. However, if having the prerequisites, the base skill of rune-crafting can be acquired as if it were a vocational skill and would not require karma. Also, like axioms, the individual runic carving can be self-learned.

Rune magic can only be scribed upon rock, and many require specific types and sizes of rock, which are detailed below. Rune magic works best as protecting an area, but some can be modified to become personal. Less common, but some may also have more offensive-styled powers. Also, the size of the runestone impacts power and duration. This means that some runes can be carried as an amulet, while others cannot.

Moreover, rune magic radiates a bit of interference from them. This means bad consequences can occur if too many are gathered together in the same vicinity. The effect is not immediate, although the GM could rule in special circumstances. As a general rule, for each day of overlapping runic area, the ground around the runestone must make a survival check on a d20 (DC:8) or become polluted, creating disease, vermin infestations, diminished crops and possibly tainted water supply where the conflicting runes are the source of the contamination, determined by the GM. The extent of the defilement varies based on the power of the runes and time of corruption. Further, for each week of overlap, the lesser of the runes involved (or both if equal) must make a survival check (DC:6) or become permanently disenchanted. On a “natural 1” the disenchantment is associated with a smoldering fire (or similar), which could spread based on the location and surroundings of the rune. The point of all of this is that stock-piling runes will require an investment of time, space and likely money -- unless the villain of the area simply does not care.

However, it is also important to take note of the duration of the rune carving. After it has expired, it will no longer radiate orgomn to cause problems. For all purposes, this reverts to becoming a normal rock. Therefore, careful burial planning is often associated with dwarves who inter their dead under runic protection. A few examples: Walking through a dwarven graveyard while wearing a rune amulet is not an issue; sleeping overnight in the graveyard can be problematic. Two party-members having personal runestones traveling together might poison their trail. Putting three runestones in the same chest will create a poisoning around chest after a few days. A warehouse of runestones will have to be large and spaced out between bins to avoid contamination.

Rune-Crafting	Mineralogy	Faith 3+
This skill offers no rune carving power itself, but does grant the understanding of how to use and create rune carving. This can be learned without karma over time like other skills if having the prerequisite.

Rune-Creation	Rune-Crafting	Faith 3+
This is the skill to carve and enchant an initial and specific type of rune.

Rune-Renewal	Rune-Crafting	Faith 3+
This skill allows a drained rune to be renewed to power.

Once the rune-crafting skill has been obtained, a cost of 300 karma, then the specific rune carving can be acquired. Some will be a passive protection, requiring no knowledge or skill to gain the benefits. However, some runes that have a different nature may require an activation, which will be listed in the description of the rune.

Further, there are two different skills available for each rune. The first is creation, costing 200 karma to learn, and the second is renewal, costing 100 karma. Creation is the skill to carve and enchant the initial rune. After a rune has become drained or its orgomn and becomes inert, it can be brought back to its original power by a simpler process, but it must be implemented within a time span of inactivity less than half the original duration. The renewal skill does this, but as the process is simpler, it requires less talent. Of course, someone with the creation skill could also renew and reactivate a rune but still require the full time as did the creation. Maintenance skills became prevalent in dwarven societies that widely use runes to allow workload to be shared. The cost for re-activating a rune is half of the original creation cost. In such societies, typically these rune skills are trained over time learning the renewal skill first; however, karma could be used directly to obtain the top skill as the lesser is not a true prerequisite.

Types of Runes

Rune	Meaning	Creation Cost	Renewal Cost
koberen	Acid Resistance	200	100
eisür	Aid	200	100
eisten	Blunt Resistance	200	100
rafmagns	Bolt	200	100
jardaten	Burial	200	100
eialagndag	Cold Resistance	200	100
eisvargon	Edge Resistance	200	100
eibrhan	Fire Resistance	200	100
hiemar	Hammer	200	100
eiskajj	Lightning Resistance	200	100
last	Lock	200	100
horpi	Luck	200	100
eiör	Piercing Resistance	200	100
eieitur	Poison Resistance	200	100
komaívegfyrirvond	Repel Evil	200	100
komaívegfyrirflinkk	Repel Good	200	100
skarhir	Shield	200	100
eigud	Smite Resistance	200	100
hetjajardaten	Heroic Burial	300	150
ikindett	Non-Detection	300	150
fangelsi	Imprisonment	300	150
ikinslips	Unbound	300	150
brynja	Armor	400	200
smarhir	Suffering	400	200
segeal	Eviction	500	300
stanstakkmagri	Antimagic	500	300
svangadsten	Petrify	600	400

Acid Resistance	Passive		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Basalt, Gabbro, Feldspar
Stone Shape/Size	3ft x 2ft x 1ft	1ft x 1ft x 6in	Small Stone
Stone Weight	1100 lbs	90 lbs	2 lbs
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	1,500 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	1 year	6 months
The stone radiates throughout the designated area, granting all in that area resistance to corrosive damage.

Aid	Passive		Time to Craft: 10 days
Usable Rocks	Carnelian, Citrine, Sardonyx
Stone Shape/Size	2ft x 1ft x 1ft	9in x 9in x 6in	Amulet
Stone Weight	450 lbs	30 lbs	½ lb
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	1,500 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	1 year	6 months
For all in the area of effect, it offers +1 to AC, which is not stackable with other magical protections.

Antimagic	Passive		Time to Craft: 6 days
Usable Rocks	Pumice, Scoria
Stone Shape/Size	6ft x 3ft x 2ft	3ft x 2ft x 1ft	Small Stone
Stone Weight	1500 lbs	250 lbs	5 lbs
Area of Effect	20ft diam sphere	10ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	None	None	None
Creation Cost	10,000 bits	7,500 bits	5,000 bits
Duration of Rune	1 month	1 week	1 day
This rune blocks all magic from entering or manifesting within the area of effect. Due to the time to create, renewing is very difficult for the middle-sized stone, and it is impossible for the small stone.

Armor	Passive		Time to Craft: 30 days
Usable Rocks	Corundum
Stone Shape/Size	2ft x 1ft x 1ft	6in x 6in x 4in	Amulet
Stone Weight	500 lbs	20 lbs	½ lb
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	7,500 bits	5,000 bits	3,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	1 year	6 months
This runestone radiates throughout the area of effect, offering +3 to AC, which is not stackable with other magical protections.

Blunt Resistance	Passive		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Apatite
Stone Shape/Size	3ft x 1ft x 1ft	1in x 1in x 6in	Amulet
Stone Weight	700 lbs	80 lbs	1 lb
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	1,500 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	1 year	6 months
This offers all in the area of effect resistance to all non-magical weapons that deliver blunt damage. Resistance is effective even if the weapon is silvered.

Bolt	Activation		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Fulgurite
Stone Shape/Size	4ft cylinder, 8in diam	2ft cylinder, 6in diam	Small Stone
Stone Weight	625 lbs	140 lbs	2 lbs
Area of Effect	90ft range 3(d20+5)	60ft range 2(d20+4)	30ft range d20+3
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	1,500 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	12 charges	6 charges	3 charges
While touching the stone, anyone with the base rune-crafting skill (or some other valid skill that offers the ability to use it), it can conjure a bolt of lightning from the runes. The range the bolt can strike varies by the size of the stone as does its damage. The attack is made against a single victim's AC. The larger stone rolls 3d20 each gaining +5 to the roll. The medium-sized stone rolls 2d20 with a bonus of +4 per die. Lastly, the portable stone strikes with d20+5. For each successful strike against the opponent, 1 point of lightning damage is delivered. Further, if any die strikes, the target must make an Agility preservation save (DC:13) or suffer an additional point of lightning damage. For the rune to build up energy to make another strike requires 2d4 rounds. The stone becomes unpowered after all charges are expired. Moreover, to re-activate this runestone once inert, the process must be started again within 10 days of the last charge used.

Burial	Passive		Time to Craft: 1 day
Usable Rocks	Granite, Pegmatite
Stone Shape/Size		6in cylinder, 18in diam
Stone Weight		90 lbs
Area of Effect		5ft diam sphere
Area of Radiation		5 feet
Creation Cost		1,000 bits
Duration of Rune		1 month
Carved on a headstone of a burial plot. This protects the interred becoming undead while the power of the rune remains intact. This is believed to be the original rune that began runic magic. Also, a bit of dwarven trivia: dwarves bury their dead in soft rock, such as a talc or gypsum field, rather than dirt, but place their dead vertically so the head of the corpse is less than a foot from the surface.

Cold Resistance	Passive		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Quartz
Stone Shape/Size	4ft x 3ft x 1ft	2ft x 18in x 8in	Small Stone
Stone Weight	1150 lbs	220 lbs	3 lbs
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	1,500 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	1 year	6 months
The stone radiates throughout the designated area, granting all in that area resistance to cold damage.

Edge Resistance	Passive		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Schist
Stone Shape/Size	2ft x 2ft x 1ft	18in x 1ft x 1ft	Amulet
Stone Weight	700 lbs	275 lbs	1 lb
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	1,500 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	1 year	6 months
This offers all in the area of effect resistance to all non-magical weapons that deliver blunt damage. Resistance is effective even if the weapon is silvered.

Eviction	Passive		Time to Craft: 5 days
Usable Rocks	Flint, Chert
Stone Shape/Size		10ft diam circle
Stone Weight		n/a
Area of Effect		10ft diam sphere
Area of Radiation		20 feet
Creation Cost		5,000 bits
Duration of Rune		1 month
This is similar to the imprisonment rune in that it is designed for a specific target and requires a graven image. It is carved in a circular pattern covering a 10-foot diameter. The circle becomes the equator of the area of effect; thus, walls, ceilings and floors are commonly used. When walking into the area, the victim must make an immediate Will preservation save (DC:20) or be transported away. If blood is used, then DC:20. If the creature is extraplanar, then it will be sent to its home origin. If the victim is native to this plane, then it will be sent to a random and harmless location on the current plane of existence. Should the target make its save, then the rune carving is flawed and powerless; re-activating it will not be effective.

Fire Resistance	Passive		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Agate, Jasper
Stone Shape/Size	4ft x 2ft x 1ft	2ft x 1ft x 1ft	Small Stone
Stone Weight	1350 lbs	350 lbs	3 lbs
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	1,500 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	1 year	6 months
The stone radiates throughout the designated area, granting all in that area resistance to fire damage.

Hammer	Passive		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Granite, Limestone
Stone Shape/Size	3ft x 2ft x 2ft	1ft x 1ft x 1ft
Stone Weight	1800 lbs	160 lbs
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet
Creation Cost	7,500 bits	5,000 bits
Duration of Rune	6 months	1 month
Power radiates from the rune so that any being standing inside the area is at advantage for attack rolls of combat, whether melee or ranged.

Heroic Burial	Passive		Time to Craft: 3 days
Usable Rocks	Granite, Pegmatite
Stone Shape/Size	3ft x 2ft x 2ft	1ft cylinder, 2ft diam	Small Stone
Stone Weight	1800 lbs	600 lbs	2 lbs
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	5 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	5,000 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	2 years	6 months
Carved on a headstone of a burial plot or at the base of a preserved statue. This protects the interred becoming undead while the power of the rune remains intact. It additional, the area acts like a protection from evil circle, preventing fiends, undead and fey from entering the space.

Imprisonment	Passive		Time to Craft: 3 days
Usable Rocks	Gypsum, Limestone
Stone Shape/Size		10ft diam circle
Stone Weight		n/a
Area of Effect		10ft diam sphere
Area of Radiation		20 feet
Creation Cost		5,000 bits
Duration of Rune		1 month
This rune is carved in a large circle on the floor or ceiling and created specifically for one individual; the circle of symbols become the equator of the area of effect. A graven images of the target is also required (blood, hair, picture, doll). However, if that target walks into the circle within the duration of the rune's active power, then that being is trapped there as would a fiend be in a pentagram cage, guaranteed to be trapped for one hour. However, after that, each hour the victim may make a Muse check to find a weakness in the rune. When creating it, the GM secretly rolls the DC, which is 12+2d4 (and it remains that DC for every attempt to escape). If blood is used for the graven image, then +2 is added to the DC to escape.

Lightning Resistance	Passive		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Sandstone, Talc
Stone Shape/Size	5ft x 18in x 1ft	3ft x 1ft x 6in	Small Stone
Stone Weight	900 lbs	180 lbs	1 lb
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	10ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	20 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	1,500 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	1 month	6 months
The stone radiates throughout the designated area, granting all in that area resistance to lightning damage.

Lock	Activation		Time to Craft: 1 day
Usable Rocks	Marble
Stone Shape/Size		Small Stone
Stone Weight		3 lbs
Area of Effect		1 Lock
Area of Radiation		5 feet
Creation Cost		500 bits
Duration of Rune		1 month
This rune becomes a magical key. It can add +10 to the DC of opening a lock by touching the lock. Touching an affected lock with the stone will automatically open it. Only one lock can be affected at a time. No special skills are required to activate the lock or unlock, merely touching the stone to the mechanism works.

Luck	Passive		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Agate
Stone Shape/Size	3ftx 3in x 1ft	1ft x 1ft x 6in
Stone Weight	1000 lbs	45 lbs
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5 ft diam sphere
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet
Creation Cost	5,000 bits	4,000 bits
Duration of Rune	6 months	3 months
When standing in the area, an entity is at advantage for any saves required.

Non-Detect	Passive		Time to Craft: 30 days
Usable Rocks	Olivine
Stone Shape/Size		6ft obelisk, 18in diam
Stone Weight		1200 lbs
Area of Effect		20ft diam sphere
Area of Radiation		25 feet
Creation Cost		5,000 bits
Duration of Rune		2 years
When completing the carving of the rune over the large obelisk, it creates a 20-foot diameter sphere of non-detection. Inside the area cannot be scryed upon, nor can its occupants have divination or detections used against them, as if they all had a dark-mind skill. However, scrying through the eyes of another being physically present, such as fey companion, who is still outside the area but looking into it might still work.

Petrify	Passive		Time to Craft: 60 days
Usable Rocks	Obsidian
Stone Shape/Size		3ft x 18in x 1ft
Stone Weight		700 lbs
Area of Effect		30ft range
Area of Radiation		30 feet
Creation Cost		10,000 bits
Duration of Rune		6 charges
The pattern of runes are written to form the shape of an eye and face a specific direction. After it is completed, anyone approaching it within 30 feet and examining it for more than a glance must make a Resilience save (DC:13) or begin the petrification process. On a failed save, a target begins to turn to stone and under the restrained restriction. At the end of the target's next turn, it must repeat the saving throw. On a success, the victim is able to break free from the forming stony skin and the effect ends. On a failure, the target is petrified. However, there is still one more final chance to avoid permanence. In the next round, an initiative is still rolled for the target, even though no actions can be taken. On that turn, the victim repeats the save a final time, which the GM may choose to have the player roll in secret to prevent the other players from knowing the fate. Please note that this final roll is not subject to automatic failure of the petrification restriction; it is made as if the character were whole. If successful, then the petrification effect is only temporary and fades from the target in 2d6 rounds. However, if this third save is failed, the petrification is permanent. After six creatures have become subject to the petrification, saved or failed, the rune no longer retains its orgomn.

Piercing Resistance	Passive		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Dolostone
Stone Shape/Size	3ft x 2ft x 1ft	1ft x 6in x 6in	Amulet
Stone Weight	300 lbs	14 lbs	¼ lb
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	1,500 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	1 year	6 months
This offers all in the area of effect resistance to all non-magical weapons that deliver blunt damage. Resistance is effective even if the weapon is silvered.

Poison Resistance	Passive		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Jade
Stone Shape/Size	3ft x 18in x 1ft	1ft x 1ft x 6in	Small Stone
Stone Weight	900 lbs	100 lbs	2 lbs
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	1,500 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	1 year	6 months
The stone radiates throughout the designated area, granting all in that area resistance to poison.

Repel Evil	Passive		Time to Craft: 2 days
Usable Rocks	Granite, Limestone
Stone Shape/Size		5ft diam circle
Stone Weight		n/a
Area of Effect		5ft diam sphere
Area of Radiation		10 feet
Creation Cost		1,500 bits
Duration of Rune		1 week
Carved on a standing surface, when a being stands inside the circle, that entity is protect from fiends and undead as if standing in a Protection from Evil circle from fiend practicum. No truly evil being can physically enter or harm the occupant. Further, any charms, fear or spell-effects originating from an evil being are at disadvantage to affect the protected being.

Repel Good	Passive		Time to Craft: 2 days
Usable Rocks	Granite, Limestone
Stone Shape/Size		5ft diam circle
Stone Weight		n/a
Area of Effect		5ft diam sphere
Area of Radiation		10 feet
Creation Cost		1,500 bits
Duration of Rune		1 week
Similar to the repel evil rune except is thwarts celestials and other truly good creatures.

Shield	Passive		Time to Craft: 2 days
Usable Rocks	Orthoclase, Moonstone
Stone Shape/Size	2ft x 18in x 18in	9in x 8in x 6in	Amulet
Stone Weight	725 lbs	40 lbs	1 lb
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	1,500 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	1 year	6 months
This runestone radiates throughout the area of effect, offering +3 to AC, which is not stackable with other magical protections.

Smite Resistance	Passive		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Pyrite
Stone Shape/Size	2ft x 18in x 1ft	1ft x 9in x 3in	Small Stone
Stone Weight	950 lbs	50 lbs	2 lbs
Area of Effect	10ft diam sphere	5ft diam sphere	Personal
Area of Radiation	20 feet	10 feet	5 feet
Creation Cost	3,000 bits	1,500 bits	1,000 bits
Duration of Rune	2 years	1 year	6 months
The stone radiates throughout the designated area, granting all in that area resistance to smite damage.

Suffering	Passive		Time to Craft: 4 days
Usable Rocks	Peridot
Stone Shape/Size		Ground
Stone Weight		2 lbs
Area of Effect		1 Person
Area of Radiation		15 feet
Creation Cost		3,000 bits
Duration of Rune		As Imprisonment
This is an extension of the imprisonment rune. The time to carve the additional runes and sprinkle in the crushed peridot is added to the time to create the original circular rune trap. However, while a victim is trapped inside, he, she or it suffers physical and mental anguish. This causes a -4 to all save attempts to escape. Further, for each full day spent in the prison, one degree of exhaustion is added.

Unbound	Passive		Time to Craft: 20 days
Usable Rocks	Granite, Limestone (Aventurine)
Stone Shape/Size		20ft diam circle
Stone Weight		n/a
Area of Effect		20ft diam sphere
Area of Radiation		25 feet
Creation Cost		7,500 bits
Duration of Rune		2 years
The rune is carved on the ground in a circle of symbols, using crushed aventurine in the grounds; it stretches out to a 20-foot diameter circle. For those standing in the area, it offers the wearer protection of free movement, meaning the wearer cannot be affected by spells such as windstorm or immobilize. Further, the wearer is at advantage for any non-magical save or competition that would result in being restrained or grappled.

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