The Campaign Builder's Guild

Here's a potential rune magic system for my Death from the Depths setting; let me know if it looks fun, usable, etc. and if it's understandable.  (Note: In the setting this system is written for, dwarves are the only practitioners of rune magic; if you want to use this in other games, you can replace 'dwarf' with 'magic-user,' 'spirit(s)' with 'magic power source of your choice,' etc. without loss of generality.)




On the Theory of Power
[ic=Not Close, No Cigar]'It is said that words have power, that there is a primordial language with which the world was spoken into being, and that runes harness this power to work magic.  With all due respect to the (no doubt well-intentioned) scholars who first theorized this, the idea is as factually accurate as a dwarf's beard is ugly...which means 'not in the slightest,' before you funny types in the back even think of giving me a smart remark.'

--A dwarven magus and long-suffering tutor of the arcane[/ic]
Runes are metaphysical dams and sandbars in the rivers of magic.  When a greater spirit exerts its magic, it can control exactly what the end results are; however, the vast majority of spirits inhabiting the world are merely formless masses of animistic intelligence attached to their environments and are incapable of so directing their power.  This is where the runes come in: carved or drawn correctly, and sealed with a sufficient amount of a dwarf's own magical power, runes allow a dwarf's miniscule amounts of inherent magic to channel the much more powerful magic of the spirits.  Dwarves often place rune magic on the same pedestal as divine magic drawn from the greater spirits, as it is much closer to the symbiotic, give-and-take nature of divine magic than the intensely personal nature of arcane magic.

Runes can be carved as small as 1/4 inch in diameter before they become too small to precisely determine their meaning; workings must be carved at least 2 inches in diameter for the same reason.  Anything that would mar the lines of a rune or working diagram destroys a working's power, so most are carved into stone or drawn with indelible paint.  A single vessel can usually accommodate one to three workings; a vessel larger than 5 feet in diameter can hold 2 workings per 5 foot square surface area.  The power of a working flows through the whole vessel, so a dwarf could not, for instance, carve two runes in the same 5-foot area on different sides of a wall; he would have to move one of them, or the rune carved most recently would not function.

On the Nature of Runes
[ic=Lingua Rune-a]'No no no, you foolish human, you've got it backwards.  We didn't invent the language of the runes; we were given the runes, and built our language around that.  The runes are a universal language in the true sense of the word, the language of the spirits of the land, sky, and sea around us.'

--The same dwarven magus[/ic]
There are two types of runes that can be used to work magic.  The first type, active runes, delineates the effects of a runic 'spell' (called a 'working'; the item holding an engraved or inscribed working is a 'vessel') and are verbs in the runic tongue.  The known active runes are as follows:

* Create
* Protect
* Negate
* Conceal
* Inflict
* Transmute
* Control
* Transport
* Connect

The second type, passive runes, delineates the substance on which a working acts; there exists a rune for every pure, basic substance.  (Essentially, if a substance is of a single material, it's sufficiently 'pure' and basic--there's a rune for 'wood' but not one for 'tree' and so on.)

Finally, each dwarf has his own personal runes which, by scribing them in conjunction with other runes, can empower other runes to greater effect; these are called augment runes.

On the Workings of Magic
[ic=Geometric Precision]'Runes are channels of power, and so are the structures of the workings used to hold them.  If you think magic 'just works' or think sloppiness is a virtue or (spirits forfend) think 'good enough' is acceptable, you might want to take up study of another form of magic before everything blows up in your face.'

--Guess who[/ic]
Workings have very specific structures which must be constructed to properly use the magic of runes, as given here:

Constructing a Working
[spoiler=Rune Structures 101][/spoiler]
As can be seen from the diagram, each working consists of six runes, five active (around the edges) and one passive, in the specified locations at the points on the pentagon:

Essence: The Essence rune defines what it is the working is meant to do.
Method: The Method rune defines how the working's effect is brought about.
Intent: The Intent rune defines an alteration to the characteristics of the other runes.
Expanse: The Expanse rune defines the volume, target, duration, etc. of the working.  (By default, a working with no Expanse rune targets a single object or creature touching it and lasts 1 round or is instantaneous, as applicable.)
Trigger: The Trigger rune defines how the working is activated. (By default, a working with no Trigger rune requires a creature to touch it and concentrate for 1 round to activate it.)
Target: The Target rune defines the substance the working targets.

Augment runes, if included, are placed as indicated in the triangles between the points of the star; each augment rune affects the two active runes next to it, so placing one where the purple 'augment' is in the diagram would enhance both the Essence and Intent runes.  The level of augmentation is given by an A in the descriptions below; the default for no augments is 1, with each augment rune increasing that by 1, and by default a dwarf can add one augment rune to a working per 2 HD.

Smaller runes to describe the exact effects of the runes (such as defining distance and direction for the Transport rune) are to be inscribed in the lines of the diagram themselves; if active runes are verbs, passive runes are nouns, and augment runes are adjectives, these descriptive runes are adverbs.  They don't have specifically defined meanings, specific locations, or an additional cost to scribe, but rather are written in everyday speech--a character reading a working to create a fireball, for instance. wouldn't need to have any special knowledge of runes beyond the ability to read the runic language, and would just see something along the lines of

Quote"Being a Working to Evoke a Sphere of Fire at a Range of not less than Twenty Paces via a Tongue of leaping Flame to sear the enemies of the King Under the Mountain upon the pronouncement of the Words 'Death to mine enemies'"

or something similarly formal and grandiose.

Creating a working requires three checks: First, the creator must make a DC 15 Craft (Runes) check to inscribe the diagram correctly.  Next, he must make a Linguistics [a catchall language skill equivalent to Forgery + Decipher Script + Speak Language] check against DC 25.  Finally, to ensure that all runes are drawn with the minor alterations and "punctuation" notation in the lines that conveys the intended use of each rune requires a Knowledge (Runecraft) check against DC 15 + twice the number of active and passive runes + number of augment runes.  It is not possible to take 20 on these checks due to the possibility of a single error completely ruining the working.

It is possible to repair and re-empower a working that has been broken, as long as at least 2/3 of the working remains intact and it has been broken in such a way that the working can be made whole again (a scuffed-up working drawn in sand can have an active rune redrawn; a working carved into a wall whose Essence rune was chiseled out and crushed, not so much).  Repairing a working follows the same procedure as creating one, except that it takes approximately half the time to inscribe and correct the appropriate runes, and all of the skill checks have their DCs reduced by 10.

Working Mechanics
A working allows a single saving throw of the creator's choice to avoid the effects (DC 10 + ½ level + Charisma modifier).  Workings can be destroyed if all or part of diagram composing them is destroyed--which usually requires destroying the vessel, but diagrams drawn in the sand or chalked onto stone may be more easily broken--and the runes composing them may be changed after their completion, effectively erasing the working and creating another but much faster.  Breaking a working requires deliberate, intentional effort: hairline cracks in a stone wall wouldn't harm a working at all unless they grew large enough to break off parts of a rune, but simply drawing a chalk line over the diagram with intent to break it would do so easily.

Each active rune has a different effect dependent on the slot(s) the rune fills (the same rune may be used multiple times in the same working), given below.  Each rune can be used in only four of the five slots in a working--or at least the fifth effect for each rune is unknown at present.

Create
The Create rune is fairly straightforward: it is used to bring materials into existence where they did not exist before.
Essence: The working creates an object made of the Target material of up to 10A pounds in weight or 2A cubic feet in volume, whichever is less.
Method: The working's effect  is delivered via a projectile of the Target material, requiring a ranged touch attack, which may be launched up to 30A feet when the working is activated.
Expanse: The working generates its own energy, and its effect continues indefinitely after activation until deactivated (deactivation requiring the same trigger as activation).
Trigger: The working is activated when a specified item is added to the diagram (as long as that something does not harm the runes or diagram), such as a signature or one of A particular symbols.

Protect
The Protect rune is similarly obvious: it defends against and reacts to agression.
Essence: The working grants a +A bonus to AC or one type of saving throw.
Intent: The runes in the working cannot be changed after the working is activated for the first time.
Expanse: The working affects up to A living creatures holding or touching the vessel.
Trigger: The working is triggered when a creature or object moves within 5A feet of the vessel (whether any object or item or one of A specified types).

Negate
The Negate rune is both used to negate magic in the sense of canceling it and negate workings in the sense of reversing their effects.
Essence: The working cancels another working or other magical effect.
Method: The working is activated by touching a small material component to the vessel (whether any object or item or one of A specified types); the object is destroyed when the working activates.
Intent: The effect of one other chosen rune is inverted: an Essence of Create would destroy an object, a Trigger of Protect would activate when a creature leaves the area, and so forth.
Trigger: The state of the vessel is changed to its opposite: a closed door is opened, a piece of parchment is flipped from working-side-up to working-side-down, etc.

Conceal
The Conceal rune hides things from the senses or magic such as remote viewing or foresight.
Essence: The working conceals the vessel and any creatures or objects it encloses from A chosen senses or forms of detection.
Intent: The working itself and the effects of the working becomes undetectable by A chosen senses or forms of detection.
Expanse: The working can delay activation after being triggered for up to A rounds.
Trigger: The working is activated when a creature sees it, affecting up to A creatures at once.

Inflict
The Inflict rune causes general harm to the target of a working or exhibits hostile behavior.
Essence: The working deals Ad6 damage, of a type related to the Target material, to a single object or creature.
Intent: The working affects only the creator's enemies, as defined when the working is created.
Expanse: The working's effects last as long as the targeted creature is at less than full health or possesses any ability damage or negative levels.
Trigger: The working is triggered when the vessel touches a creature or object.

Remake
The Remake rune physically changes either its targets or the vessel's environment in some way to bring about a desired effect.
Essence: Either the triggering object or creature is changed into the Target material, or up to 5A cubic feet of the Target material is reshaped as the triggering creature wills.
Method: The working transmutes its vessel to generate energy to achieve the desired effects, effectively making it single-use.
Expanse: The working affects an area, with dimensions of 5A-by-5A-by5A feet, shaped as the creator desires.
Trigger: The working takes effect when the vessel is changed in some way (the runes are smudged, the vessel is shattered, etc.)

Control
The Control rune manipulates its target without changing any of its intrinsic properties.
Method: The working can be enabled or disabled with a command word; a disabled working does not respond to trigger conditions, cannot be detected magically, etc.
Intent: The triggering creature can change the preset parameters of the working, rather than having targets/area/etc. set when the working is created.
Expanse: The working lasts for as long as the triggering creature concentrates.
Trigger: The working is triggered when a command word is spoken by the vessel's bearer

Transport
The Transport rune moves its target through space in one or more directions.
Essence: The target moves at a speed of 10A feet (good maneuverability, if moved through the air).
Method: The working's effect may originate from a point up to 5A feet away rather than from the working itself.
Expanse: The working can affect targets to which it has no line of effect.
Trigger: The working is triggered when the vessel is moved.

Connect
The Connect rune allows multiple runes to work in synchrony.
Essence: The working adds the attributes of one of its runes to another working (allowing a single working to use multiple Expanse runes, for instance).
Method: The working allows up to 2A workings to combine their effects (exceeding their normal limits); no working can be connected in this way to multiple workings with Methods of Connect.
Expanse: The working can draw line of effect from another specified working on the same vessel.
Trigger: The working takes effect when one or more of up to 3A other workings on the same vessel is triggered.

On the Balance of Workings
[ic=Balance Shmalance]'Not fair?  'Not fair'!?  We're fighting for our lives here!  If you can't keep up it's your problem!'

--Yeah, still him[/ic]
The main balancing factor of runic magic is the fact that it takes a bit over an hour to create each working, and they're specific enough to require good tactics and preparation.  If you think canny players would Connect a few hundred of those fireball workings to create a doomsday device, you could always introduce a pricy material that runes need to be written with or inscribed onto, but I think the time requirement should be sufficient for most purposes.

On the Imitation of Spells
[ic=Dwarf See, Dwarf Do]'Yeah, you can get your magic to work faster, but mine keeps working after yours has long run out, and my workings can do anything your spells can do.  Well, almost anything, but it can also do things your spells can't.  So there.'

--You know who[/ic]
Creating workings takes much more time than spellcasting, it's weaker overall, and it can be more complicated, but at its heart rune magic is closer to item creation than spellcasting: a working is a spell that can be used over and over again, similar to a wand or staff.  To help give an idea of the working creation process and how to use runes, some common spells are duplicated here.

Fireball
Essence: Inflict.  Assuming we're going for the equivalent of a 5d6 fireball, that requires 4 augment runes, so the minimum level required to cast this 'spell' is 8th.
Method: Create.  We want this to work at range, and Create forms a projectile.  The fireball's range when A is 4 is 120 feet, but that puts us at another 4 augment runes--the first set could cover both Essence and Intent, or Essence and Expanse, but not Essence and Method, so we're up to 7 now, making this require a 14th-level creator unless he picks up some other abilities to increase the number of augments he can scribe on one working past 1 per 2 levels.
Intent: Inflict.  This lets our fireball only harm our enemies, which isn't what the base spell does but it's a nice touch.
Expanse: Remake.  It's only a 20-foot-diameter fireball rather than a 20-foot radius, but it's probably worth it, being castable at will and all.
Trigger: Control.  We want to point and shoot, not sit there concentrating.
Target: Fire.  Obviously.

So we essentially have a fireball wand with unlimited charges, though it has much shorter range, deals less damage, and doesn't have friendly fire.

See Invisibility
Essence: Conceal.  We want to reveal one sense, so no augment runes are required; this can be done at level 1 so far.
Method: None.  We don't need anything special for this, so we'll leave this blank.
Intent: Negate.  We're reversing the Conceal rune (from hiding from 1 sense to revealing things hiding from 1 sense).
Expanse: Transport.  This lets us find invisible creatures behind walls or cover.
Trigger: Transport.  All we have to do is wave the vessel around, not speak a command that an invisible target might recognize.
Target: Flesh.  This lets us only find living creatures, but object aren't often invisible anyway

But wait!  This requires us to touch a creature to detect it, when we want an area.  Let's come up with another working:
Essence: Connect. We can add an extra rune to the first working
Method: Transport. This working and the first one can be up to 5 feet away and still work together, without having to be on the same vessel
Intent: Control. This lets us change the area when using it.
Expanse: Remake. We can sweep a 5-by-5-by-5 foot area, shaped as desired
Trigger: Transport. Same reason as the first working.
Target: Varies.  We'd set this to be whatever material the first rune's vessel is made of.

If we shape the area into a 1-by-5-by-25 foot beam, we have a little see invisibility radar system that looks like a Wii-mote with its two vessels.

Wall of Stone
Essence: Create. If we add 3 augment runes, we can make 60 pounds of stone.
Method: Transport. We don't want this to create a wall on top of the rune, so it will originate 5 feet away.
Intent: Control. This lets us change shape the area of the wall each time it's used.
Expanse: Create. The wall lasts until the rune is destroyed, or until we deactivate the rune to let us make another wall somewhere else.
Trigger: Control. Clap on, clap off.
Target: Stone.  Of course.

60 pounds of stone isn't much, so let's put some oomph into this thing: We can make nine other copies of that working and then connect them all with the following working:
Essence: None. This rune does nothing on its own.
Method: Connect. We need 5 augment runes to connect all 10
Intent: Control. This lets us change shape the area of the wall each time it's used.
Expanse: Transport. This way, the workings don't all have to be on the same side of the wall to be linked, giving greater leeway for wall placement.
Trigger: Connect. All 11 workings take effect at the same time.
Target: Stone.  Same reason.

Now the ten linked workings plus the connector, all functioning together, can create a 600-pound wall of stone--not too large, but it's sturdy and movable.


More examples may be given as requested.

This is brilliant. Full stop.

I especially like the fireball disk of death. Hell, I like the visuals for all of this.

Is there a limit to the number of workings a vessel can hold, or the minimum/maximum size of a working? For instance, could I make the following, rather simple working:

Essence: Inflict
Method: None
Intent: Inflict
Expanse: Inflict
Trigger: None
Target: Flesh

and put the thing around a besieged city, slowly killing anyone who gets even a little bit injured?


I'm also a little bit confused on what some of the runes can do, especially the connect one.

This is incredibly awesome (I might just steal it). I love the fireball and I could see the entrances to dwarven fortifications having stone tables with the fireball rune set inscribed on them. The dwarves manning the towers could then fling fiery projectiles at attackers instead of having to use huge cannons or catapults.

Quote from: Prone to WanderingThis is incredibly awesome (I might just steal it).

I love the fireball and I could see the entrances to dwarven fortifications having stone tables with the fireball rune set inscribed on them. The dwarves manning the towers could then fling fiery projectiles at attackers instead of having to use huge cannons or catapults.[/quote]
Actually, the fluff introducing the dwarves in my setting thread has them piloting a huge flying ship, using runes channeling spirits of air instead of usual airship tech.  It's good to hear other people are seeing the steampunk (elementpunk?) and/or magitech potential.

Quote from: Pair o' Dice LostWell, that's one of the things I hadn't decided on; I wanted this to handle small amulet-sized workings as well as ship-sized rune-covered hulls, so any feedback on numbers of workings and such would be good (and also suggestions on things like "you can only wear two rings" kinds of rules that will rein in the power level).

Makes sense.

Quote from: Pair o' Dice LostRegarding that specific working, there are a few issues with it.  First, if you have no trigger rune overriding the defaults, then you have to have someone sitting there spending full-round actions to work it.  Second, you can't affect an area unless you use the Expanse of Remake, so you'd need to have a second rune like in the see invisibility example to add that (which is actually why I made that example), and even then you'd need a lot of these runes to cover the area, since even a 20th-level character could only get a 55-foot radius.  However, if you do manage to carve a few thousand workings, place them all correctly, and find a way to ensure they don't get scuffed up or broken, then yes you could besiege a city pretty damn well--but then again, the besieged could put the same workings on their walls and screw any of your attackers too if they get a scratch while carving your runes of death around their city, so it's not a perfect siege weapon by any means.

I think I get what you're saying with the trigger, but if the working is the size of the city (All five points outside the walls with the target rune in the center of the city), wouldn't that mean everyone inside is 'touching' it by being within its area? If they were to, say, tunnel underneath and lay the working, would that still work on the people above?

I think a lot of the confusion would be alleviated if you reformatted the defaults to place them next to their aspect; sorting through that paragraph makes it confusing regarding what affects what.

One of the things I have trouble with is that there's no visual way, currently, to distinguish different spells which use the combine rune, since it can affect any one of them, there are potentially four spells that look exactly the same, but have completely different effects. Was this intentional?

Quote from: See Invisibility working[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Wall of Stone working][/spoiler]

Do those help at all, or am I misunderstanding the question?

I'll agree with the others: this is bloody awesome.
Very flexible leaving a lot of room for player creativity which I consider to be one of the most important points in any system, especially magical ones.
I can already visualize the flowing rock of a runic bridge shooting across a chasm to connect the two sides or small runic glass balls made to create a burst of light if broken.
A player playing a rune worker would obviously have immense amounts of fun coming up with runic contraptions.
If the runes ask for a material components or specific items/words how do you tell the rune what to react to? Would you draw a small line to another circle with that info or just write it into the rune itself somehow?

I'm impressed, even at a fairly brief look. Love that you have diagrams, that adds a lot.

Lots of fun.  Some thoughts.

[blockquote=dICE]The main balancing factor of runic magic is the fact that it takes a bit over an hour to create each working, and they're specific enough to require good tactics and preparation. If you think canny players would Connect a few hundred of those fireball workings to create a doomsday device, you could always introduce a pricy material that runes need to be written with or inscribed onto, but I think the time requirement should be sufficient for most purposes. [/blockquote]

[blockquote=Dice] This is where the runes come in'"carved or drawn correctly[/blockquote]

Time and space considerations need to be more clear and more demanding, I think, and with the level of perfection that they seem to need (see first quote), you need some screw-up %, with the appropriate effects chart.  Add in a slight coordination/dex/handwriting bonus, i'd think.  This will also do somethign to the doomsday workings...since the chance for a screw up increases per linkage, or per rune added on. ;)

I'd reccomend something like a base of 15 minutes per rune, maybe, so that the tactics can really come into it.  The more complicated they get, the longer they take to put together.

[blockquote=Dice]and sealed with a sufficient amount of a dwarf's own magical power, runes allow a dwarf's miniscule amounts of inherent magic to channel the much more powerful magic of the spirits. Dwarves often place rune magic on the same pedestal as divine magic drawn from the greater spirits, as it is much closer to the symbiotic, give-and-take nature of divine magic than the intensely personal nature of arcane magic.[/blockquote]
how do you want to adjudicate this part, with their own power?  You are implying here that they need to charge the rune, which I think is the right way to go, but are they going to have a manapool or summat?

Double post.

Quote from: Cataclysmic CrowIf the runes ask for a material components or specific items/words how do you tell the rune what to react to? Would you draw a small line to another circle with that info or just write it into the rune itself somehow?

Hmm...That would probably be placed in one of the areas of the working that doesn't already have a specified use, something like this:
[spoiler=Rune Structures 201]

* Senses selects which senses Conceal affects
* Runes selects which runes Connect affects
* Command sets a command word
* Shape sets the area
* Enemy sets the enemy definition for Inflict
* Delay sets the time delay for Conceal
* Direction sets the directions for Transport
* Creature sets creature type
* Link selects which other workings Connect affects
* Component sets the material component

[/spoiler]
If that looks good, I'll edit that into the OP and put up some parameters for how many augment runes each of those takes.

Quote from: Vreeg's CoachwhipTime and space considerations need to be more clear and more demanding, I think, and with the level of perfection that they seem to need (see first quote), you need some screw-up %, with the appropriate effects chart.  Add in a slight coordination/dex/handwriting bonus, i'd think.  This will also do somethign to the doomsday workings...since the chance for a screw up increases per linkage, or per rune added on. ;)

I'd reccomend something like a base of 15 minutes per rune, maybe, so that the tactics can really come into it.  The more complicated they get, the longer they take to put together.

how do you want to adjudicate this part, with their own power?  You are implying here that they need to charge the rune, which I think is the right way to go, but are they going to have a manapool or summat?[/quote]
That's purely fluff text, and justifies why only dwarves have runes in the setting--anyone can draw the runes, but only the dwarves have that magical "spark" of whatever sort that'll tell the spirits to wake up and start working.

Quote from: Pair o' Dice LostI'm not sure exactly what you mean; do you mean that you can just stick a rune by itself in the pentagram and you can't tell what it's supposed to do?  All of the runes are kind of like that, but if you're referring specifically to the fact that they all have more similar effects than the others, well, the dwarves know which way is up. ;)  More seriously, there's a definite orientation to the pentagram, so if for instance the Connect rune looks like a "V" and you see a ">" you know the working is facing to the left, and if you see a "<" you know it's facing that way -->

Do those help at all, or am I misunderstanding the question?

You're misunderstanding the question. If the working is just the pentagram, and we have a connect rune in the Essence location, for instance, there's no visual indication which rune from that working is being carried over. For instance, the second see invisibility working, one of those runes 'carries over' to the first working, but there's nothing visual that shows us which one.

I'm beginning to think that the 'connect' system might be better suited as a different format from the other verbs. Perhaps an 'adjective' rune, that's added to one already there?

And speaking of timeframes, what's to prevent someone from perfectly scribing these runes onto circular discs, constructing a pentagram frame with divits in each of the rune slots, and swapping them in and out as needed?

Quote from: Stargate525You're misunderstanding the question. If the working is just the pentagram, and we have a connect rune in the Essence location, for instance, there's no visual indication which rune from that working is being carried over. For instance, the second see invisibility working, one of those runes 'carries over' to the first working, but there's nothing visual that shows us which one.

And speaking of timeframes, what's to prevent someone from perfectly scribing these runes onto circular discs, constructing a pentagram frame with divits in each of the rune slots, and swapping them in and out as needed?[/quote]
Both because then they're on different vessels and would each require their own diagram to function correctly, and because workings are made powerless and need to be redrawn if they're broken, which removing one of the runes does.

Fair enough. Can runes be done onto flexible materials, like cloth or paper? What amount of natural deterioration counts as breaking the circle (is it broken by a chip in clay grooves, or does it have to be nearly illegible?)