RunecarvingRelak watched as the member of the dwarven mercenaries, presumably a preacher, went to those five soldiers of the unit who had been chosen to lead the charge, and drew geometric designs upon their armor. Each bowed towards the priest, thanking him for his gifts that day.
Then they charged down the narrow corridor, the whistle of orcish arrows flying all around them.
As the distance closed, the accuracy of the orcs improved and one after another, the dwarves were struck, often squarely, and Relak felt the melancholy of the soldier, watching his comrades die in his stead.
But die they did not, for each hit was met with a flare of magic from the runic script painted upon the mercenaries, and although it did not seem to prevent the direst of strikes, piercing impacts that should have been crippling did little more than slide away.
Only then did Relak see that the priest wore signs of allegiance to no god, and was currently adorning his own gear in the runic script.
Whatever magic this was, the dwarves were its masters.Rune magic is a hidden form of magic, carved into the foundations of structures and secreted amongst creations of an artistic nature, worked into armor and splashed across a page. Formed of many ancient glyphs drawn and redrawn, creating patterns and histories within themselves, runic magic is as much about creating a story as it is magic, for each of the glyphs and runes has a special meaning, a core part of the universe that it describes in great and exquisite detail. Combine that word with another, and the runes form phrases, written in a language lost long ago, and perhaps never capable of being spoken in the first place. Today, runes are not described by their proper names, for it is feared that even that to spread such information is dangerous, and it is better for the power of the runes to be in the hands of those who see the great task of the runes as their holy duty. The runecarvers have read the ancient texts, and know of what the runes tell.
Throughout
Stone and Symbol is found the idea of carving, of creation, and of combination, a three-part ideal that holds the very core of runic magics, for no one rune will function upon its own. Each is a building block that must be combined with others to reach the potential within, much as the same way a single world can never provide the scope and meaning of an idea, for without context, there is nothing to be heard or learned. Context is important in the art of runic magic too, for place a rune of water upon a rune of cold, and ice forms. Yet, place that same rune of water upon a rune of air, and gentle clouds that nourish the land form. One will destroy the crop, another save it, and yet each is based around the same principle. Only when that principle is placed into context is the true meaning known. The strength of the context may vary, depending upon the wielder's skill, but it will always be there, defining what one rune does with another.
For
Stone and Symbol, the classes and runes presented herein focus on the strengthening of living creatures, imbuing both them and their items with vigor and vim. The runecarver can see the precise strokes and cuts he must make upon the stone and the steel, empowering the flesh beneath. The runeborn is runic magic made flesh, his very soul carved with a graven ideal. Finally, there is the unlettered. Absent any formal training in the runic ways, he scrawls quick and shoddy imitations of what he desires, sometimes receiving his wants, other times something new.
Taken together, their deep skill with the ancient and profound dialect of glyphs and runes allows them to see the world through the eyes of a geometric strength. As they grow in stature, the various forms of runecarver can understand new and deeper meanings for the runes, finding nuances and hidden connotations in each one as they progress further down their path towards true knowledge. Be it as friend or foe, runes opens a new horizon, a style of magic very different than anything yet seen.
Like the
Expanded Psionics Handbook, this book presents a new system of magic, a novel way of looking at characters who deal with life and death. The heart of this system is the engraving of runes, the rules for which will presented in full in Chapter 4.
RunesThe language of runes is the source of power to those who wield the chisel and hammer, but despite the sense of runes as timeless, immortal, creations that are written into stone and never changed, that is not so. Runes as seen in magic are carved onto arms, armor, or other item, and do not live to see the passing of the days, let alone weeks. And some, such as those of the unlettered, are little more than a barely legible scrawl and a wish.
As a source of energy, there is no limit to the potential of runes, for they drain their strength from the deep places of the world, the solid core of all things. Talented users of runic magic recognize the vast reserves at their beck and call, and apply themselves to learning the ancient and difficult runic skills.
Carved RunesThe characters who make use of the options in this book— new classes, prestige classes, feats, and other options—gain the ability to transform runes into ongoing supernatural effects called carved runes. Characters who can carve or engrave runes are called runecarvers.
A carved rune is the combination of several rune effects, written together, that forms a combined meaning, granting those powers to whomever wields the item upon which the carved rune exists. Unlike spells the duration of carved runes is generally one day, although some are dismissed sooner than that, and certain classes carve runes that last a much shorter time.
Character and Campaign OptionsCentral to the concept behind this book is the idea that you can use as much or as little of it as you want to in your game. Much of the material can be used by characters from existing classes, although runic magic does perform best when utilized by a specialist character.
A player who is very excited about runic magic might choose a new race from Chapter 1, one of the runecarving classes from Chapter 2, and feats from the new feats presented in Chapter 3. His character can engrave runes drawn from Chapter 4 and wield magic items from Chapter 6. When he’s ready, he might adopt a prestige class from Chapter 5. For such a player, this book can almost replace the
Player’s Handbook — in much the same way that the
Expanded Psionics Handbook can for a psionic character. Others might prefer to simply dabble in runic magic. A player can choose a race and a class from the
Player’s Handbook, then choose feats and prestige classes from Chapters 3 & 5 to enhance his character. He can make extensive use of the items in Chapter 6, even if he can’t unlock all the potential of those items. A player who wants his character to dabble in runic magic can use this book as an additional resource at the table, without having runic magic dominate the character’s capabilities.
A campaign might introduce runic magic in tiny fragments: a single villain with a runecarving class from Chapter 2, an encounter with members of a new race from Chapter 1 or monsters from Chapter 7, or a strange item from Chapter 6 that holds the promise of more abilities than it immediately reveals—if a character can learn the language of the runes. The player characters might explore an ancient ruin strangely carved with runic symbols, learning new capabilities themselves as they progress through the ruins and uncover their secrets. Like Canere in the vignette at the start of this introduction, the PCs in your campaign might stumble upon a dwarven enclave that utilizes this strange magic, and choose whether to learn it, or judge the users of it. Whatever options you choose, you’ll ?nd runic magic injecting a unique flavor and never-before-seen effects into your campaign. Whether you’re as new to the game as runecarvers and Tokunnir or you’ve been playing since psionics made their first appearance, we trust that the arrival of runic magic will spark your imagination and give new life to your campaigns and adventures to come.
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