I’m sorry Scottmack (if you ever come back to this thread to read it again). I hope this information is helpful.
Rune Magic overview
The following is a simplified version of how to use Rune Magic. It is only basics and doesn’t give details like spell modifiers, how to make a skill test, etc.
Acquiring a Rune object
First a character must aquire and integrate a rune. Once a rune is found, a character can integrate with it making its power his own. The character spends one hour with the rune in peace and solitude and then he must make a Persistence test.
· Persistance Test Failed – the character cannot attempt to integrate that specific rune object (for instance a Fire rune object), again. However, if the character finds another rune object of the same type (another Fire rune object), he may try to integrate with that runic object.
· Persistance Test Successful – the character has integrated the rune and it is said to be Rune Touched. The character gains the skill Runecasting for that particular rune. He never loses this skill. However, if he must have the rune object (and be holding it) in order to cast the spell. If he doesn’t have the rune object handy or if it has been taken from him or if he has lost it, he cannot cast the spell.
Casting the spell
The character must make a successful Runecasting skill test to cast a spell successfully. Runecasting is actually many skills of the same name, but different specialties. For instance Runecasting (Air) is different from Runcasting (Fire). These spells are all developed separately from another. (special casting modifiers and results of critical success and fumble are detailed in the book).
Casting time is specified for each spell (For instance Dispel Magic has a casting time of 2). This means it takes two full Combat Actions to cast the spell. The caster can do nothing else but cast the spell during the time required to cast. Distractions or attacks on the spellcaster as he casts either automatically ruin the spell (if spellcaster is blinded or disarmed of his runes or suffers a Serious or Major Wound) or requires a successful Persistance test to maintain concentration on the spell.
As a single Combat Action a caster can dismiss any Permanent or Duration spell(s) he has cast. Ceasing to cast (while casting) is immediate and not a Combat Action.
Overcharging
It is possible to feed more Magic Points into the casting of a spell than is normally required to ‘boost’ the power of the spell. The decision to overcharge the spell must be made before casting.
For each additional Magic Point spent on the spell, apply a –5% penalty to the Runecasting test (the spell is more difficult to cast successfully) and any Persistence tests require to distractions or damage during the casting period.
If the spell is cast successfully, every additional Magic Point spent to boost the spell has the following effect:
-The spell’s Magnitude is considered to be +1 for purposes of countering it with spells such as Countermagic or Dispel Magic.
- If the spell possesses a Resist trait, the target’s resist test suffers a –10% penalty
·If the spell possesses a Duration trait, its duration is increased by +1
Spells
The following runes and spells are available at the present time. The RuneQuest Companion, Gloranatha the Second Age, Cults of Glorantha volume 1, and Magic in Glorantha do not give additional spells to go with Rune Magic. However, more rune spells are promised at a future date.
Rune--- Spells Available---Runic Power
Air---Extinguish
Beast---Befuddle, Bestial Enhancement, Strength, Vigour
Chaos---Skybolt
Cold---Frostbite
Communication---Babel, Mindspeech
Darkness---Darkwall
Death---Hand of Death, Undead Bane
Disorder---Befuddle, Demoralize, Disruption
Dragon---Dragon Breath
Dragonnewt---None presently---Will reincarnate as Dragonnewt upon death
Earth---Protection
Fate---Fate
Fertility---Endurance, Heal
Fire---Firearrow, Fireblade, Ignite
Harmony---Glamour
Heat---Warmth
Illusion---None presently---Gains disguise skill and +5% to Sleight and Stealth skills
Infinity---Multimissile
Law---Fanaticism
Light---Light
Luck---Good Fortune
Magic---CountermagicCountermagic ShieldDispel Magic
Man---Versatility
Mastery ---hunder’s Voice
Metal---Bladesharp, Bludgeon, Dullblade, Repair
Moon---Emotion
Motion---Coordination, Mobility
Movement ( I believe this is a mistake and Motion and Movement should be the same rune. (Just my thought.)---SlowSpeedart
Plant---Clear Path
Shadow---Cover of Night
Spirit---Second Sight
Stasis---Countermagic Shield, Pierce
Trade---Golden Tongue
Truth---Detect X
Undead---None, presently---Any spells that target undead cast by the rune touched inflict a -30% penalty on attempts to resist or counterspell them
Water---Water Breath
Note that there are only three runes for which there are no spells available at all for the time being: Dragonnewt. Illusion, and Undead. Illlusion is not a very powerful spell, but since you could possibly pick up Invisibility with it in the future, it could potentially be a powerful spell. Dragonnewt is a powerful spell in that it is a resurrection type spell. I don’t know if there are any more benefits to it than this because I just picked up the Magic of Gloranthat (which tells about Dragon Magic) today, and I haven’t read it, yet. As far as the Undead rune goes, your GM may consider giving it to you (or you to your players if you are the GM) if you have the Undead rune (it seems to make sense) even the the rules do not allow it in the core book.
That said, some of the runes are less practical in terms of spell availability than others. Detect X will work for any Detection spell, so that is a good deal. However, beginning players would do best to focus on a few spells that are most practical in game play. For instance, Heal would be the most important spell to have. It could save your life or someone else’s. So Fertility should be an important rune to get. Befuddle is an important spell to have as a beginning character because it allows you to affect any humanoid creature regardless of size (you could affect a giant with it). So the Man rune would be an important rune to get. A few defensive spells such as Protection or Countermagic would be important to have so either the Earth rune or the Magic rune would be good to get in the beginning. The most popular offensive spells in our group were Bladesharp and Bludgeon, so Metal would definitely be a good rune to get. These spells seem to find their way into the core of almost any adventurers ‘common’ magic repertoire, so if you are a GM you should offer these runes as ‘treasure’ first (because in this game the players cannot choose them for themselves). If you are a player, you should seek these runes out first.
In other words, the Rune magic offered is sufficient to run an entire campaign, and in fact, many multi-year campaigns have been run with fewer common magic spells offered than in the list above (RuneQuest 2 and RuneQuest 3 had fewer ‘common magic’ spells.) However, it should be relatively easy for GMs to use this model to add new spells from time to time for interest or variety or to meet a special need. In addition we are told that more Rune Magic spells will be forthcoming in future.
Suggestion for a house rule:
Drop integration from common magic. Allow shamans to carve runes onto items and give them to the characters who pay for them. Only allow shamans to overcharge spells. Characters who are not shamans have to buy magnitude along with the spell. For instance, Bladesharp can be bought at various magnitudes, but Bladesharp 5 costs much more than Bladesharp 1. A character who wants variety in Magic Point costs must buy three different runes to be put on a blade if he wants that blade to be capable of Bladesharp 1, Bladesharp 2, and Bladesharp 3. GMs determine beforehand what spells a shaman knows. He can only carve runes into items for those spells.
Make runic objects available as magic crystals, magic stones, petrified wood, a fang from an animal, a feather from a bird, or a natural formation shaped like a weapon (for instance a shard of crystal or metal for a dagger). Characters must integrate with these items in order to use them, but they don’t have to integrate with items in order to use common magic.
