Dwarven Rune Magic
A rune consists of three major components: The trigger, which determines when the rune activates; the target, which determines who or what the rune will affect when it activates; and the effect, which determines what happens when it activates. Each of these consumes one of a rune's component slot, and a rune without at least one of each component will not activate. Additional trigger components combine with each other to produce more complex triggers, additional target components combine with each other to either produce more specific targets or a wider array of targets, and additional effect components combine with each other to produce more powerful or varied effects. All components are detailed at the end of the class description.
Runic Inscription, when you inscribe a rune you can choose to Engrave it or superficially mark the rune on the object. If you engrave the rune, you need an appropriate tool for the material (such as masons tool for stone), the inscription time is listed in the table below. If you superficially inscribe the rune, it takes 1 action, but only has one use. You can use anything that can leave a mark to make the rune(such as chalk painters supplies etc.). In either case make a dexterity (Arcana) check, the dc equaling 10 + Rune points spent. You may chose to carefully carve the rune, spending twice as long, but gaining advantage on the sleight of hand roll.
Rune Uses, As a natural part of runic inscription, runes wear down with use. The inscription method and the material the rune is inscribed on have influence on how quickly the rune wears down. Each time a rune is activated, it consumes one use. When all uses have been consumed, the rune fades and becomes inert. If a rune still has at least one use left, the rune smith that made it can restore it. They can spend half the time that it took to inscribe the rune to replenish the uses of the rune(without needing to make an ability check).
Rune Points. Runes are works of art infused with magic, and more powerful runes can be quite taxing to inscribe when done in a pinch. You have a number of rune points equal to your rune smith level, as shown in the Rune Smith table. Certain triggers, targets, components, and class features can increase the number of rune points it costs to inscribe more complex runes. Once you can inscribe a rune, square runes cost a base of 1 rune point to inscribe. Pentagon runes cost 3 points, and hexagon runes cost 6. You can also spend additional rune points to enhance a runic effect, for example the Paralysis rune stuns the target for +0.5 rounds, you can spend a rune point to boost that to 1 round. You regain 1 rune point at the start of each of your turns. Whenever you inscribe a rune, you must expend all required rune points at the moment you begin to inscribe it, and while you are inscribing a rune you do not regain rune points. You can never attempt to inscribe a rune that costs more rune points than you have. If an object is inscribed with a rune that costs 5 or more rune points, the object is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical damage.
Rune Components. The number of different ways you know how to inscribe the various types of rune is represented by the total number of component options you know, as shown in the Rune Smith table. Each trigger you know counts toward this total, each target you know counts toward this total, and each effect you know counts toward this total. Each time you gain a level in this class, you may change one of the components you know with a different one. If you die, all runes you created start consuming uses at a rate of 1 use at dawn each day.
Rune Limit. When you inscribe a rune, you put a small part of yourself into the rune itself, empowering it and making it the deadly work of art it is. The maximum number of runes you can have inscribed at once is equal to your Intelligence modifier plus your proficiency bonus (minimum of 1). If you try to inscribe more runes than your maximum, your oldest rune fades away and disappears instantly. If you try to inscribe a single item with more than three runes the oldest one fades and becomes in usable. (Certain Subclass will either extend or remove the limits on Runes.)
Runescribing Ability Intelligence is your inscription ability for your runes, since the power of your runes relies on how accurately you can create them from memory. You use your Intelligence whenever a rune effect refers to your runescribing ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a rune you inscribe and when making an attack roll with one. Even though the given harmful rune effects call for a saving throw, your DM might call for a rune attack roll in certain situations, so both are listed.
Rune save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Rune attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Rune Components in Separate Article linked below
Rune Tables
Rune Levels / Name / Runic Complexity
0 Basic. Triangle
1 Lesser. Triangle
2 Common Triangle
3 Uncommon. Triangle
4 Greater / Rare. Square
5Superior / Very Rare Pentagon
6 Legendary. Hexagon
7 Kingdom. Heptagon
8 Imperial. Octogon
9 Diety. Enneagon
Hypothetical
10 Demi Diety
11 Lesser Diety
12 Superior Diety
13 Greater Diety
14 OverDiety
Inscription Materials
Material Uses Inscription Time Rune Point Cost
Dirt/Gravel/Parchment/Sand/etc. 1 1 action 0
Leather/Wood/etc. 2 3 actions 0
Stone 2 1 minute 0
100gp Gem or Gemstone 4 1 minute 1
500gp Gem or Gemstone 7 1 minute 2
5,000gp Gem or Gemstone 11 1 minute 4
25,000gp Gem or Gemstone 16 1 minute 6
Common Metals 8 +6 hours 0
Rare Metals (Silver, gold, etc.) 20 +10 hours 3
Adamantine 50 +24 hours 7
Other materials and substances not on this list are up to your DM to determine the exact statistics for those materials. The specific type of gem used is irrelevant: only the value of the gem matters, and the value given is the minimum value of gem required for an inscribed rune to have those statistics. Conversely, the value of the metal is irrelevant: it's the type of metal that matters, such that gold weapons and armor are more effective at holding runes than iron or steel. Objects with runes inscribed into them do not experience normal wear and tear from regular use, including soft metals that would normally bend or break if used as weapons or armor.
Rune Size[edit]
Also at 1st level, you know how to inscribe different sizes of runes. Because of the time and energy larger runes require to be inscribed, larger runes are not only more powerful but can activate more times. The Rune Size table below details the exact additional cost, inscription time, and effects amplification of larger runes.
The only limit on how large a rune can be is on how many rune points you can spend towards making a larger rune. Runes larger than Gargantuan cannot be more powerful and therefore do not have a larger cost associated with them. Any effects of the rune that have targets treat the edges of the rune as the origin points for the effect, and as the starting points for the ranges or radii of any trigger components.
Rune Sizes
Image Size Rune Point Cost Inscription Time Additional Uses Effects Multiplier
Tiny(6 inches x 6 inches or less) 0 (1x1 area) x1 0 x1
Very Small (2x2 area) 0 x2 1 x1
Small(3x3 area) 1 x3 2 x1
Medium(5x5 area) 2 x4 2 x2
Slightly Large (10x10 area) 3 x6 3 x2
Large (10x10) 5 x8 3 x3
Mostly Huge (15x15 area) 7 x10 4 x3
Huge (15x15 area) 9 x13 5 x4
Somewhat Gargantuan (20x20 area) 11 x16 7 x4
Gargantuan (30x30) 14 x20 9 x5
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