Runecasters for Shadowdark RPG

Runecaster

A Viking warrior inspired with the knowledge of magical runes, able to shape and carve magical runes into items.

Weapons: All weapons

Armour: All armor and shields

Hit Points: 1d8 per level

Runelore

You begin knowing 2 of the 18 traditional known runes. Each casting of a rune is unique, and often needs to include the name of a user, the time or purpose of its use, or other factors. Determining these factors is the “shaping” of the ruin, after which it is carved into an item. You can shape and carve a single rune in 1d20 +15 minutes. At the end of this process, you make a casting check to activate the rune.

Weapon Mastery

Choose one type of weapon, such as longswords. You gain +1 to attack and damage with that weapon type. In addition, add half your level to these rolls (round down).

Grit

Choose Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom. You have advantage on checks of that type to overcome an opposing force, such as kicking open a stuck door (Strength), slipping free of rusty chains (Dexterity), or resisting torture (Wisdom).

Languages

You know two additional common languages and one rare language.

2d6 Effect

2 Learn 1 new rune.

3-6 +1 to melee and ranged attacks

7-9 +2 to Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom stat

10-11 Choose 1 rune you know. You gain advantage on casting checks for that rune.

12 Choose a talent or +2 points to distribute to stats

Runes

Shaping a rune requires meditation, chanting incantations, and carving and staining the rune. Each time you create a rune is different, runes are not as structured as spells. So the casting check DC for a rune will be different each time you do it. Roll 1d3+10 to determine the DC when you cast a rune.

Ale-Rune

Carve this rune on the rim of a cup or ale-horn. When a drink is poured into the vessel, if poison is present, the vessel will shatter. The rune lasts until the vessel is broken by the presence of poison or for 24 hours, after which the rune’s magic fades and it becomes a non-magical carving.

Beast-Rune

Carving this rune on something you wear or carry allows you to speak to one particular animal. You must name the particular animal it is intended to affect, not just a type of animal (such as “that wolf with the white blaze on its muzzle”). The precise identification of the animal needs to be provided when you are shaping the rune, then you can converse with that one animal for 24 hours.

Berserk-Rune

Shape and carve this rune into the haft of a weapon such as a spear or axe. You must name the intended user of the weapon and name the battle it is meant for fighting (such as “this fight against the Orcs in that cave over there”). During that one fight, the named user is inspired with fury, gaining advantage on all attacks with that weapon and doing +2 damage. If the user stops fighting for more than 2 rounds, switches weapons, dies, or defeats the enemy named in the shaping, the rune’s power ends. If the battle intended is not fought within 24 hours, the rune is wasted, turning into a mere carving.

Catch-Rune

Shape this rune and carve it into a pair of gloves to prepare a named wearer for one specific battle (such as “our fight against the Goblins in the cave today”). For one day, the wearer named can catch any weapon such as a spear or axe thrown at him or her by making a Dexterity check with advantage. If successful, the wearer catches the weapon and takes no damage. If the check fails and the weapon’s attack is successful, the wearer takes +1 damage from the weapon. This rune is not effective against launched missiles such as arrows and bolts, or against hurled boulders.

Change-Rune

Shape this rune and carve it into a feather, bone, or hide of a bird or animal to shape change into that animal. You gain the creature’s attacks, movement, size, and strength but not its special abilities such as a snake’s venom or rat’s disease . You retain the rest of your own abilities. You can maintain this form for 1d6 hours, or until you decide to end it earlier. If you die, fall asleep, or get knocked unconscious, the effect ends.

Charm-Rune

This rune makes a person fall in love with the caster or another person named during shaping. It must be shaped and carved into a board hidden under the target’s bed. Each night that the target sleeps over the hidden plank the subject must save vs. Wisdom or fall in love with the other person named on the plank. The charm effect ends if the plank is discovered and removed from the bed, making use of this rune risky. Casting this rune incorrectly is perilous. If the casting check fails the rune is still magically empowered, but becomes a Disease-Rune instead. Aside from having romantic feelings toward the other person named, the subject is not under any control by the caster.

Dead-Rune

This rune allows the caster to speak with the spirit of a specific, known person who has died. The rune is carved on a staff and planted in the grave mound or cast into the sea for those unburied. The grave opens (or a hall appears in the waters) revealing the dead spirit seated at his high seat. The runecaster can pose up to three questions to the spirit. Although the summoned spirit cannot lie, it typically answers in riddles and poems (frequently loaded with kennings). The spirit will invite the character to enter, but anyone foolish enough to do so is lost forever. Each time it is used to summon a new spirit, there is a 10% chance the spirit rises as a wight and attacks.

Disease-Rune

This rune is very similar to the charm-rune. When shaped, the victim must be named and the rune carved on a plank. This is then placed beneath the bed of the victim. Each morning thereafter, the victim must make a saving throw vs. Constitution. If successful, the rune has no effect. If failed, the victim is infected with a magical disease, losing a point of Constitution per day. This process continues until the victim’s Constitution reaches 0 and the character dies. Constitution lost in this fashion cannot be regained until the rune is discovered and destroyed.

Fortune-Rune

The fortune-rune allows the caster to predict the fate of others. The rune must be shaped for a particular person and carved into wood. It is then typically cast on the floor, burnt, or handled by the seeker. If the rune is activated successfully, a general indication of the character’s overall fate in life is given.

Help-Rune

This rune can be cast to cure diseases, including most of those caused by magical means (unless otherwise specified). It has no effect on illness caused by disease runes. The caster must know the name and symptoms of the sufferer. The rune is then carved on a plank and placed under the patient’s pillow. Each morning the patient makes a Constitution save. If successful, the disease lessens and one of the symptoms vanishes. When all symptoms are gone, the person is cured. The rune’s power then fades away.

Iron-Can’t-Bite-Rune

This protective rune is popular with warriors. The rune is shaped for a particular person and carved onto a wooden amulet. The charm must be worn as soon as it is carved. So long as it is worn the wearer suffers one point less damage from all attacks made with weapons. If the rune is removed for any reason, its power is broken. A character can only use one of these runes at a time. Its power fades if the wearer dies.

Limb-Rune

This useful rune can be used to heal injuries, particularly those suffered in battle. To be effective, the rune is shaped with the injured person‘s name and then carved onto the branch of a living tree. Blood from the wounded person must be touched to the carved letters. If the runecasting is successful, the injured person heals ldlO points of damage. Alternately, limb-runes can be used to speed the process of natural healing process for shaping the rune is the same as above, but the rune is carved on the inside of a piece of bark stripped from a living tree and placed against the wounded character's skin. The character heals completely after a 4 hour rest and has advantage on rolls to determine if the rest was successful. The rune works until the character has regained all lost hit points. Only one limbrune per character can be used at a time.

Lore-Rune

This perilous rune allows the runecaster to seek the answer to a single question. The runecaster formulates his question while shaping the rune and carves it in a stone. If the rune is cast successfully, an answer to the question will come to the character in a dream in 1d6 nights. The dream must be interpreted by the caster. If the casting check fails, the runecaster is haunted by a ghost each night for 1d6 nights, and gains no answer.

Luck-Rune

This rune, carved in a wooden object, gives the person named during shaping luck for one day. If the rune is successfully shaped, the recipient gains a +1 on all rolls of one die type chosen during the shaping of the rune. If the rune is badly formed, the Bad Luck effect is instead triggered. The luck lasts for 24 hours, but is lost if the rune item is not carried or worn the entire time.

If the rune casting check fails, the named subject gains bad luck instead of good for 24 hours, gaining a -1 penalty on the chosen die type for 24 hours, even if the rune is discarded or destroyed.

Nith-Rune

A nith- rune delivers a powerful curse. To shape this rune, the runecaster must name the subject to be affected and list with the runes the wrongs that person has committed against the runecaster to justify the curse. A nith-rune carved without good cause automatically fails (with the consequences given below). The rune is carved on a pole, set in the ground, and topped with an animal's skull. The pole must be on the property of the person being cursed. Typical curses inflict madness, misfortune, bad luck, illness, poor harvests, harsh winters, bad hunting or evil weather. The curse can never directly cause the death of the victim. If the rune is fashioned successfully, the victim is allowed a check versus Wisdom to resist the effects of the curse, with the DC of the check equal to the runecaster’s casting check roll. If this check is successful, the curse is negated.

There are several risks involved in using this spell. First, it is difficult to fashion, so the casting check is made with a - 1. Second, for the nith-rune to have effect it must be placed where it can be found. A nith-rune is a grave insult and will not be dismissed lightly, unless the target is a coward. Finally, a poorly fashioned rune will rebound on the runecaster. If the character errs in shaping the rune, the curse (or something similar to it) affects the runecaster. Like the potential victim, the player character is allowed a Wisdom check to avoid the effect. The curse remains in effect until either the conditions of the curse are fulfilled, the nith- rune is negated, or the two parties arrive at some kind of reconciliation. This last can be done by arbitrating a settlement at the local thing.

Quench-Rune

This rune allows the caster to extinguish any single fire. When shaped, the name of the place to be affected must be worked into the rune, which can then be carved on any available piece of wood. The wood is thrown into the fire and consumed to activate the rune. If the rune is shaped successfully, a conflagration up to the size of a single building can be extinguished. Only one fire can be extinguished per rune.

Sea-Rune

The runecaster shapes the rune and then carves it on the prow, rudder, and oars of a ship. The rune remains in effect until any of these items are broken or lost. A rune shaped during the building of the ship bestows advantage on seaworthiness checks, giving the ship better chances of surviving any storm. In dangerous seas, the vessel handles as if the wind and waves were one category less. (Strong winds are treated as favourable, storms as strong winds, gales as storms, and the northern equivalent of hurricane is a gale.) The ship gains a +2 bonus to all seaworthiness checks. Multiple sets of sea-runes on a single ship are not allowed. If a sea-rune is negated because of a broken or lost oar, the rune can be repaired by any runecaster who knows how to shape a sea-rune. He can examine the runes already on the ship and carve a new one. A check for the work must still be made. The bonus for the initial carving of the rune is lost, however, since the replacement oar was not fashioned when the ship was built. If the prow or rudder is broken, the sea-rune is permanently destroyed. The ship is then considered ill-fated and cannot have another rune placed on it.

Shield-Rune

To be used, the rune must be shaped for a particular warrior and then carved on the inside of his own shield. Thereafter, the warrior gains a + 1 to all his saving throws when carrying the shield. The shield-rune is only effective for the named warrior; should anyone else use his shield, it functions as a normal shield with no special bonus. The shield-rune remains in effect until the character is defeated in a duel or runs from a battle. If either event occurs, the rune is immediately negated.

Shout-Rune

This rune can be used to free people from bonds and open locks. The runecaster names the person to be freed or the item to be opened and carves the rune on the bonds themselves. He then shouts to activate the rune. This unties knots, opens locks, breaks manacles, and removes other restraints.

Sight-Rune

This rune is carved on a piece of wood and must be shaped for a particular individual. Cast the rune and look at the person named. You can either cast it once as the spell Augury to know the future of the person named, or, if the subject named is disguised, invisible, or shapeshifting, you can see their true appearance any time they are near you for one day. You must hold or wear the carved rune to use it.

Speech-Rune

This rune is shaped for a particular person, then carved on an amulet for the person to wear to protect the subject’s reputation and honour. The rune is effective for twelve hours after the carving. During that time, any people attempting to defame, denigrate, or spread lies about the protected person must make a Wisdom check opposed by your spellcasting check. If they fail, they must hold their tongues and cannot speak against the protected person. Furthermore, the spell prevents others from casting runes (particularly the nith-rune) on the protected person unless, again, making a Wisdom check versus your caster check succeeds.

Strength-Rune

The strength-rune does just as its name implies: it increases the strength of the recipient. When shaping the rune, the runecaster must include the name of the strengthened person and then carve the rune on a piece of wood or stone. This is driven into the earth and touched by the named person. Thereafter, for ld4 hours, that character's Strength is increased by ld3 points (or +1 if over 18). The character receives all appropriate adjustments to combat modifiers for his enhanced Strength, as well as an increased number of gear slots and modifier for strength checks.

Triumph-Rune

This improves a warrior's skill in battle. The rune must be shaped for a particular warrior and a particular fight or setting. It is then scratched onto the warrior's weapon hilt and blade. The warrior gains a + 1 to his attack and damage rolls. The rune lasts until the warrior loses the weapon or changes to another weapon, retreats or is defeated in the battle, or the battle ends. The rune-carved blade is the equivalent of a magical weapon for fighting creatures that can only be hit with +1 weapons. The triumph-rune cannot be combined with other runes that increase the attack or damage rolls of the character, nor can it be applied to magical weapons.

Water-Rune

This rune is used by seamen to protect against the risk of drowning. The rune is shaped with the person's name and then carved onto a piece of wood. This is set adrift on the ocean. Thereafter, the person has limited protection against drowning in the following ways: He can hold his breath for twice as long as normal. The character has advantage on swimming checks. When swimming long distances, the character gains a +1 to all required Constitution checks. The character does not suffer from exposure to icy waters and suffers -1 point of damage might be caused by drowning or similar water-based attacks.