(c) 2016 by Richard Wayne Smith - - - - - Version 1.1
A set of rune stones set in a line is a powerful magic item which divides the magical continuum. Various spells are affected when they are cast across a line of rune stones. They are most often used to contain environmental magics. Rune stones can be created with both the Lesser Magic Item Creation (LMIC) spell and the Greater Magic Item Creation (GMIC) spell (the latter version is cheaper).
Rune stones are built in a magical laboratory. Then they are transported to where they will be laid and activated. After some time, a 'rune line' will appear. The rune line is invisible and will gradually grow in durability.
Since rune lines are invisible and the rune stones may be hidden, buried, or missing, it is possible that a wizard tries to cast a spell across a rune line without knowing it is there. The GM should say, "This spell is going to cost this much more mana. Do you want to pay it?" If the player does pay, the player rolls to cast the spell, and if successful, the spell is cast normally. If the player doesn't wish to pay the higher cost, the spell fails and the casting wizard loses 1 fST for a botched spell.
Magic items, when they are brought across a rune barrier, under go magical stress as they move from one magical continuum to the next. Roll 3d6 for each enchantment on the magic item. On an 18 the enchantment is destroyed. On a 17 the enchantment becomes weaker some how and will stop working for 1d6 hours. On a 16 the enchantment will stop working for 1d6+4 minutes. Note that these rolls are done by the GM so they are not affected by any Charms or Curses affecting the player. (For example, Razaz the Rich takes a Stone Flesh ring across a rune line. The GM secretly rolls a 17, and rules that the Stone Flesh only stops 3 points of damage from now. Further, (another roll) he says it won't work at all for 3 hours.)
Magical spying is very difficult across a Rune Line. The exact effect is up to the GM but it is suggested the at least 3 dice more must be rolled to learn anything from the other side of an area enclosed by a rune line.
The GM may rule that teleporting is or is not allowed to cross rune lines. (In my campaign you can teleport across rune lines.) Note that if rune lines stop teleportation, the GM should expect that they will be common around high security areas.
The first enchantment on a rune stone must be the rune stone enchantment. Other enchantments may then be added (remember to double the cost of each subsequent enchantment up to the rule of 5). In particular Glyffs and the various spells that modify Wards are common choices to be placed on rune stones. If all of the stones share the same enchantment, then the rune line will share that enchantment. Due to the high cost, few long rune lines have extra enchantments on them.
The stones are usually made of the same materials, (for example, all the stones are made from black slate from a single quarry). Tho the effect is subtle, if the stones are made from near identical materials, the line tends to form a bit more quickly.
The Lesser Rune Stone is made with the Lesser Magic Item Creation (LMIC) spell. Greater Rune Stones are made with GMIC spell. The finished stones are identical. However, it is considerably cheaper to make stones with the Greater Magic Item Creation spell. The batch number of 5 on the Greater Rune Stone, means that 5 stones are made at the same time, for the listed cost and time.
If a GM wishes to make rune lines more common it is suggested to make the batch numbers higher. For example, if the batch number of Lesser Rune Stone is 3 and for Greater Rune Stone is 25, then it would be much cheaper to make long rune lines. In my campaign there is a lost spell: Artifact Magic Item Creation which was forgotten ages ago. It had a batch number of 144, so ancient rune lines are far longer than those that can be afforded now.
| Magic Item | Price | Notes | Weeks To Make | fST / Day | Cost of Ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesser Rune Stone | $3,100 | Batch of 1 | 4 weeks | 50 fST | $276 ci / wk |
| Greater Rune Stone | $5,200 | Batch of 5 | 3 weeks | 325 fST | $533 ci / wk |
To activate a rune stone, carry it to where it is to rest, then any wizard may touch it and spend 7 fST. After a line of stones have been activated it takes several weeks (usually 5 to 10 weeks), for the rune line to form. Rune stones in a closed line (where the ends link up), tend to form more quickly, at the lower end of this range.
The rune stones are usually placed in a line approximately 5 meters apart. If they are farther apart, the rune line may collapse more easily, if they are closer together, they are more resistant to aging effects (see below). In any case the rune stones should not be placed more than 10 meters apart, or the line may not form. Rune stones do not have to be set in straight lines.
Rune stones, once they have solidly established a rune line, are extremely resistant to damage (see their life cycle below for more details). Even if the rune stones are dissolved in Universal Solvent, the line will remain (tho the missing stones make the line more vulnerable to collapse).
However the more stones there are, the more powerful they become. Also lines of rune stones that are closed curves (like polygons, circles and ellipses), are more powerful.
The effect of rune stones is to make a cleavage plane in the magical continuum. Spells and magical effects have trouble crossing rune stones, summoned creatures usually are unable to cross a rune line. The break in the magical environment extends into the ground and high into the air. If a line of rune stones is 100 meters long, the effect will extend 100 meters vertically (50 meters above the stones and 50 meters below them). If the stones curve and close encircling some shape, the effect will close forming as close to a sphere as possible. For example a path 1000 meters long and 4 meters wide is enclosed. The effect will extend 2 meters into the air & ground, and look like a long cigar if it was visible.
When the stones are first placed there is a several week period before the rune line forms. During this period, the stones may freely be moved around without difficulty and without risk of damaging the spells on them.
After the rune line forms, for the few months, the line is very dependent upon them. Destroying or removing any stones can easily cause the new rune line to fail. Moving the stones during this period will move the line, and it is easy to add more stones and expand the area or distance the line covers.
After 1 or 2 years, the rune line becomes stronger and is less dependent on the rune stones. The line can survive if the occasional rune stone is moved or destroyed (less than 2% of the stones removed from the line). If a large number of stones are removed, some or all of the line will fail. If the stones are moved to a new location (say to follow changes to a political boundary), then the rune line will fail and MAY reestablish itself along the new line. It would be wise to add about 10% new stones if you wish to move the boundary.
After 10 to 20 years, the rune line can survive up to 10% of its stones being removed. At this point, the stones tend to resist moving, acting as if they are twice as massive as they really are, when first trying to shift them. If the stones are removed they usually lose all enchantments on them. At this age and older, if a rune line fails, all of the stones making up the line lose all enchantments on them.
After a century or two the stones gain strength from the rune line. If the stones are less than a meter apart they gain 3 extra armor. If they are from 1 to 5 meters, they get 2 extra armor points. If they are more than 5 meters apart they gain one point of armor. Stones removed from the line break or may shatter like a 1 die exploding gem. At this stage, the rune line is largely independent of the stones and can survive 50 to 75% of the stones being removed. If too many are removed, the line may become permanent, may last for a century or so before failing or may break down in a short period of time (say a year or two). Note that only closed rune lines can become permanent. The major thing that determines how long the line will last, is how closely the stones were originally set together.
Apart from magic 'acting funny' around them, the spells, Detect Magic and Detect Secret Protections will find rune lines. Detect Hidden Watchers will not find them.
Beings that can directly see or sense the magical field will be able to notice rune lines.
If rune lines are in the campaign some fortresses will have concentric rings of rune stones around the walls. This makes the walls far more resistant to missile spell attacks.
GM's can use rune lines to create strange environmental effects, in limited areas, so magic does not always work the same way. Players can use rune lines to increase the security of areas, and adventurers will find that they add to the variety of challenges that they face.
Battles that occur near rune lines will limit wizards in various ways. This will add variety to combats and make the non-wizards a bit more important for those fights.
Even failed rune lines can add spice to a campaign. The PC's are climbing thru a dense forest and find a set of eroded rune stones around the top of a little hill. No magic remains, but was there once a fortress here?
At many points in these rules, the exact description is a bit vague and details are left up to the GM's discretion. This is deliberate. Rune lines are poorly understood by mages and many times wizards who wish to finesse the details of rune stone behavior have come to grief. ("If we move exactly these 5 stones, the rune line won't break...")
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