Campaign Guidelines

Runecrafting
Runecrafting System	Runecrafters	Variant: Scribas
Variant: Glyphics	Runecrafter Package Deals

General Magic Item Guidelines are here.

GM Notes on Runecrafting

Rather than cast Spells or work some other form of Magic on the spur of the moment, Runecrafters (ROON-KRAFT-ers) instead inscribe special symbols upon objects or even living creatures that invest the inscribed object or person with Magical capabilities. Runecrafters particularly excel at the crafting of Magic Items, and are often well equipped individuals. They also excel at warding buildings and areas with protective Runes, making them excellent on the defense as well.

This reliance on Magic that is not castable at need makes for a challenging and intriguing type of Magic User.

CASTING MODEL

Runecrafting does not use a concept of "Spells" or allow any quick combat-oriented "casting" of Magical Effects. It's sole purpose is the crafting of Permanent or Ephemeral Magic Items via the conceptualization of Magical "Runes" that are inscribed upon a surface and impart specific abilities. Runes may be used on weapons, armor, people via tattoos, or other inanimate objects.

APPLICABILITY

For the purposes of the guidelines presented throughout this website there are two types of Magic Items, Permanent and Ephemeral. as explained in the Magic Item Guidelines document. The most significant difference between them is that Permanent Items cost Character Points to create while Ephemeral Items do not.

Permanent Items last until destroyed and are built using the Independent Limitation.

Ephemeral Items have a finite supply of Magical energy and are built using the Charges Limitation with the "Non-recoverable" option.

Runecrafting allows the creation of both types of Magic Items. For convenience sake throughout this document Runes used to make Ephemeral Runic Magic Items are referred to simply as "Ephemeral Runes" and Runes used to make Permanent Runic Magic Items are called "Permanent Runes". There are some mechanical differences between Permanent and Ephemeral Runes which are explained in detail in a later section.

RUNE FAMILIARITIES

A Runecrafter buys each Rune that they know as a one point Familiarity similar to a Transport or Weapon Familiarity. Each distinct Power Construct or Magic Item is represented by separate Runes regardless of similarity.

EXAMPLE: Falrath's Rune Of Dimensional Warding is defined as:

RUNE EFFECT

Falrath's Rune Of Dimensional Warding: Change Environment 4" radius, -10" Teleportation, Trigger (Someone In Area Affected Trying To Teleport Out or Someone Trying To Teleport In, Self-Resetting; +1) (84 Active Points); 6 Continuing Charges lasting 5 Minutes each which Never Recover (-1 3/4), No Range (-1/2), Physical Manifestation (-1/4; Rune of Dimensional Warding)

Real Cost: 24 Character Points; Average Market Price: 2,016 xc

A Runecrafter that knows this Rune does not pay the Real Cost of the Rune's effect. Instead they pay 1 point for a Familiarity with the Rune, which is then listed on their Character Sheet under "Skills":

RUNE FAMILIARITY

Falrath's Rune Of Dimensional Warding (Ephemeral)

Real Cost: 1 point

NOTE: In this document example Rune write ups often include an "Average Market Price" value given in "xc". This amount indicates the average price in whatever denomination is the campaign standard to purchase a Runic Magic Item or have a Rune inscribed, in a neutral market (unweighted by availability or demand). Thus "xc" is gold coins in a gold-based campaign, silver coins in a silver-based campaign, or perhaps some more unusual system of currency in other campaigns.

This amount is calculated as:

Ephemeral Runes: (Active Points * Real Cost)
Permanent Runes: (Active Points * Real Cost) * 5

This amount could be heavily modified in either direction based upon economic forces and applicable Skill Rolls such as Trading. Individual GM's likely have widely divergent means of calculating the cost of Magic Items and should be consulted when there is doubt on the part of a player.

RUNECRAFTING SKILL

In addition to taking Familiarities with each Rune that they know, all Runecrafters must have KS: Runecrafting. This Skill indicates their general understanding of Runic Magic and ability to recognize the properties of different Runes. A player can decide whether they prefer the INT or GEN based version of this Knowledge Skill at character creation.

RUNECRAFTING KNOWLEDGE SKILL OPTIONS

KS: Runecrafting; Real Cost: 3 points

KS: Runecrafting (GEN); Real Cost: 2 points

MEDIA SKILLS

Runes may be inscribed or otherwise marked upon numerous surfaces, referred to as Media. Runecrafters must learn how to inscribe their Runes on each Media separately, as represented by various Professional Skills.

Skill	Media
PS: Calligraphy	Paper
PS: Carving	Wood
PS: Embroidery	Cloth
PS: Engraving	Metal
PS: Sculpting	Stone
PS: Tattooing	Skin

The adjoining table lists the principal skills, though a GM might extended this list to include other Media; PS: Glazier for using Glass as a Media for example. Obviously, these Skills may also be used for their intended purposes as well.

At the GM's discretion some other Professional Skills might be proxied; such as PS: Weaving or PS: Sewing for PS: Embroidery, or PS: Etching for PS: Engraving.

Also at the GM's discretion some other Media might be added or switched out, such as PS: Glazier for the making of Runes in glass objects or PS: Pottery for adding Runes to ceramic and clay objects.

ITEM CRAFTING SKILLS

It is important to note that none of the default Media Skills cover the creation of objects, they simply allow the addition of adornments to existing objects. If a Runecrafter wanted to also make objects from scratch then where appropriate they must also take the corresponding Skill(s) separately.

For instance, a Runecrafter that knew PS: Engraving that also wanted to create weapons and armor upon which to engrave Runes from scratch would have to take some combination of Blacksmithing, Weaponsmithing, and/or Armorsmithing to do so.

MIXED MEDIA

The interaction of Runes with different Media is a significant feature of this Magic System, and there are some specific guidelines detailing this interaction as follows.

Normally all Ephemeral Runes may be used with any Media the Runecrafter has the appropriate Professional Skill for. Accordingly an Ephemeral Rune that can only be applied to a single Media may take a -2 Limited Media Limitation; each additional Media that such a Rune can be applied to reduces the Limitation by -1/2.

Thus an Ephemeral Rune which can be inscribed on four Media may take a -1/2 Limitation while an Ephemeral Rune that can be inscribed on five or more Media may not take a Limitation of this sort.

EXAMPLE: Gorga's Rune of Hall Warding is an Ephemeral Rune that can only be carved on Metal or Stone, and thus takes a -1 1/2 "Limited Media" Limitation.

This behavior is reversed for Permanent Runic Magic Items; normally Permanent Runes may only be implemented in a single Media (as appropriate to the Magic Item the Permanent Rune represents), and each additional Media that the Rune may be inscribed upon is a +1/4 Advantage which must be applied to every separate Power Construct imparted by the Rune,

EXAMPLE: The Rune of Zerstram is used to craft a mighty Magical Warhammer. Normally such a weapon would need to be made from a single specific Media (typically metal for weapons and armor). However a Zerstram Hammer can be crafted from Metal or Stone, and thus has Multiple Media as a +1/4 "Multiple Media" Advantage.

POWER FRAMEWORK AS A RUNE

Rune of Zerstram: Multipower, 70-point reserve, all slots Multiple Media (Metal/Stone) (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (122 Active Points); all slots Independent (-2), OIF (Warhammer; -1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2); Real Cost: 30 Character Points

Heavy Blow: HKA 4d6-1 (vs. PD), +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4) (69 Active Points); Real Cost: 2u
Staggering Blow: HKA 3d6-1 (vs. PD), +3 Increased STUN Multiplier (+3/4) (70 Active Points); Real Cost: 2u
Punishing Blow: HKA 3d6-1 (vs. PD), +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4), Does x1 1/2 Knockback (+1/2) (70 Active Points); Real Cost: 2u
Furious Blows: HKA 2d6-1 (vs. PD), +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4), Autofire (5 shots; +1/2), Non-Standard Attack Power (+1) (69 Active Points); Real Cost: 2u

Effective Active Points for Creation Purposes: 162 Active Points *

Total Real Cost: 38 points; Average Market Price: 30,780 xc

* NOTE: See the Magic Item Guidelines document for guidance on creating Magic Items as Power Frameworks.

Restrictions

There are a number of restrictions which apply to this type of Magic Use, as follows.

POINT CAPS

By default no point caps are imposed on Runic Items, though Runes with higher Active Points and Real Costs take longer and are more difficult to inscribe. However some GM's might prefer to enforce point caps on Runes to keep Runic Items from being too powerful for their campaign.

If such is the case, 60 Active Points are recommended as a viable limit for Permanent Runes, and 90 Active Points as a viable limit for Ephemeral Runes.

USAGE

In general Runes may be used to make Magical weapons and armor, to embed magical powers into a person or other object such as wards, and to create Runic tattoos investing a recipient with Magical Powers.

NAKED POWER ADVANTAGES

Ephemeral Runes can be designed as Naked Power Advantages where appropriate, but Permanent Runes cannot be.

Ephemeral Runes meant to be borne on weapons are often built as Naked Power Advantages applying to a Killing Attack or Hand Attack, but Permanent Runes intended to create weapons are built as a Killing Attack or Hand Attack in an Independent Focus with the appropriate additional abilities added on as a Compound Power or as part of a Power Framework.

Ephemeral Runes intended to be borne on armor are sometimes built as Naked Power Advantages applicable to Armor, but are rarer than Ephemeral Runes intended for weapons. Runic armor is more commonly made with a Permanent Rune based on the Armor Power or some other Defense Power such as Damage Reduction or Force Field.

TRIGGERS

Ephemeral and Permanent Runes intended to be used for miscellaneous effects or as wards are typically designed as Powers on Triggers.

Triggers are given comprehensive coverage on pages 269, 27, and 271 of the HERO System Fifth Edition Revised Rulebook, and include the expanded Trigger Options presented in Digital HERO #11 in the HERO Glyphs article by Steven S. Long. Players of Runecrafters should read this section carefully and consider the implications of the various options available for Triggers, particularly the rules for self-resetting Triggers.

Some Triggers need special Detects included in their design to function properly as explained on page 269 of the HERO System Fifth Edition Revised Rulebook.

TATTOOS

Runes intended to be used as tattoos are typically Permanent; some are built on triggers while others are "on" all the time. Tattoos are given specific treatment under Inscribing Permanent Runes below.

NUMBER OF RUNES KNOWN AND RUNE DISTINCTIVENESS

A Runecrafter may know as many Runes as they are able to buy Familiarities for. However, every variation in design, no matter how insignificant, represents a separate Rune that must be bought as a separate Familiarity.

EXAMPLE: Gruarg the Runecrafter knows the Ephemeral Rune Oppo's Rune of Blasting

OPPO'S RUNE OF BLASTING

Oppo's Rune of Blasting: Energy Blast 5d6 (vs. ED) (25 Active Points); 8 Boostable Charges which Never Recover (-2 1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4)

Real Cost: 7 (not paid) [8 bnrc]; Average Market Price: 175 xc

If Gruarg wants to add Explosion to the Rune of Blasting, he must either learn another Rune such as Jael's Rune of Exploding Blasts, or create the new Rune himself.

JAEL'S RUNE OF EXPLODING BLASTS

Jael's Rune of Exploding Blasts: Energy Blast 5d6 (vs. ED), Explosion (+1/2) (37 Active Points); 8 Boostable Charges which Never Recover (-2 1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4)

Real Cost: 10 (not paid) [8 bnrc]; Average Market Price: 370 xc

SPECIAL EFFECTS (SFX)

Magic Runes have very broad Special Effects. In addition to any specific SFX that a particular Rune effect might have such Electricity for a Lightning Rune or Fire for Flamebolt Rune, all Magic Runes also automatically have the additional SFX of Magic, plus Arcane, and finally Runic. These mandatory SFX cannot be altered by any means, including Variable Special Effects.

NOTE: The Rune of Electrical Arcs is always Magic, always Arcane, and always Runic in addition to Electrical.

REQUIRED/FORBIDDEN MODIFIERS

The following restrictions apply to all Power Constructs used to represent Runes. Each category is described in more detail under Creating Runic Items; this list simply summarizes what Modifiers are required or forbidden:

RUNE DESIGN RESTRICTIONS

Ephemeral Runes

Must Have the Physical Manifestation Limitation
- May Not Have the Independent Limitation
- May Not Have the Focus Limitation
- May Not Have the Restrainable Limitation
Must Have Non-recoverable Charges
- Continuous Charges Must Terminate Via Anti-Magic
May Not Have No Conscious Control

Permanent Runic Magic Items

Must Be Independent
Must Use the Focus Limitation
- Typically Are Durable Foci
May Not Be On Non-recoverable Charges
- May be on Recoverable Charges

Runic Tattoos

Check with your GM for the method they are using for Runic Tattoos.

CREATING RUNIC ITEMS

Different guidelines apply to the creation of temporary "Ephemeral Runes" and "Permanent Runes", as follows.

INSCRIBING EPHEMERAL RUNES

Runecrafters can inscribe simple Runes that are not meant to last forever but which can be very useful while they last, called Ephemeral Runes. As described in the Magic Item Guidelines document, Ephemeral Magic Items are Magic Items that are built with Non-recoverable Charges, which means that they have a finite number of uses, but conversely do not cost Character Points to create.

As noted above under Media Skills, in order to inscribe an Ephemeral Rune a Runecrafter must have the appropriate Media Skill for the Media they wish to inscribe a Rune upon as well as the appropriate materials and tools.

Thus if a Runecrafter wanted to add a Rune to a garment they would need to have the PS: Embroidery Skill, a needle, and sufficient thread to embroider the Rune, but if they wished to inscribe the same Rune on stone they must have the PS: Sculpting Skill and a hammer and chisel. It is left up to the GM's discretion whether a Runecrafter has the correct materials in sufficient quantity for a given Rune.

REQUIRED SKILL ROLLS AND TIME

It takes the following effort to successfully inscribe an Ephemeral Rune:

One hour per 10 Active Points, uninterrupted
A KS: Runecrafting Skill Roll at -1/10 Active Points
The appropriate Media Skill Roll at -1/10 Real Cost

If the KS: Knowledge Skill is failed but the Media Skill Roll is successful then the Rune looks correct but lacks Magical potency.

Time	Penalty
20 minutes per 10 Active Points	-1
5 minutes per 10 Active Points	-2
1 minute per 10 Active Points	-3
1 Turn per 10 Active Points	-4
1 Phase per 10 Active Points	-5

A Runecrafter may take less time to inscribe an Ephemeral Rune, but suffer an additional Skill Roll penalty to their Media Skill Roll for rushing the job.

BASE ITEMS

The base Item to be inscribed must first be constructed or otherwise acquired. The Runecrafter may subcontract this step to craftsmen or otherwise acquire a suitable Item, in which case the GM determines the quality of the base Item. If creating the Item themselves, the Runecrafter must also go through the normal process of creating the mundane Item, as appropriate to the type of Item.

I MADE THIS! BONUS

Runecrafters gain a +2 bonus to their KS: Runecrafting and Media Skill Rolls to add a Rune to any Item they created from scratch.

NON-RECOVERABLE CHARGES

Ephemeral Runes must include Non-Recoverable Charges in their design and may not be Independent.

NOTE: An interesting option for Charges is given in Digital HERO #16 in the HERO Glyphs article by Steven S. Long called "Conserved Charges", which might be particularly useful for Ephemeral Runes.

PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION

All Ephemeral Runes must take "Physical Manifestation", described on Page 100 of the Until Superpowers Database. Depending upon the Media that a Rune is inscribed upon the Physical Manifestation of an Ephemeral Rune often lasts long beyond the Charges in the Rune are expended.

For instance if an Ephemeral Rune is inscribed in stone, the Rune's likeness remains upon the stone even after all the Charges in the Rune have been expended. An Ephemeral Rune engraved into a piece of metal or chiseled into a block of stone or tattooed on flesh will last for a very long time indeed even after the Rune has lost it's Magic, until erosion, corrosion, or decay removes them under typical circumstances.

PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION LIMITATION

Physical Manifestation; -1/4 Limitation: Used to represent a Power that has a some Physical embodiment which if destroyed ends the use of the Power. Treat the Physical Manifestation as a Breakable Foci for purposes of determining it's DEF and BODY.

When carried by a Character Runes have a DCV equal to their bearers DCV, and those aiming specifically at the item they are on suffer a -2 OCV penalty exactly as if attacking a Focus.

When left unattended Runic Items have a DCV ranging from 0 to 3 DCV depending upon their size (smaller size = higher DCV), and to specifically strike at a Rune upon the item imposes a -2 OCV penalty.

Circumstances might impose further OCV penalties to strike a Rune's Physical Manifestation, such as positioning, location, intervening objects, and the like.

REF: UNTIL Superpowers Database pg 100

INSCRIBING PERMANENT RUNES

Runecrafters can inscribe Runes that are meant to last forever, or at least until the destruction of the object they are inscribed upon. Permanent Magic Items are Magic Items that are built with the Independent Limitation, and cost Character Points to make.

As noted above under Media Skills, in order to inscribe a Permanent Rune a Runecrafter must have the appropriate Media Skill for the Media they wish to add a Rune to as well as the appropriate materials and tools. Further, as noted under Mixed Media, Permanent Runes only work on one Media by default; to be used on multiple Media requires an Advantage to be applied to the Rune's design.

Thus if a Runecrafter wanted to add a Rune to a suit of metal armor they need to know the PS: Engraving Skill and they must have some acid or a specialized engraving tool with which to score the metal of the suit. It is left up to the GM's discretion whether a Runecrafter has the correct materials in sufficient quantity for a given Rune.

RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTATION

The first time a Runecrafter creates a Permanent Rune they must go thru a period of Research & Experimentation as explained in the Magic Item Creation. Please reference the Research & Experimentation section of that document

REQUIRED SKILL ROLLS AND TIME

The following effort is required to create a Permanent Runic Item:

It takes one hour per 10 Active Points to inscribe the Item
A Runecrafting Skill Roll at a -1 penalty per 10 Active Points must be made
- The Runecrafter may opt to take two hours per 10 Active Points, reducing the penalty to -1/20 Active Points
- The Runecrafter may opt to take four hours per 10 Active Points, reducing the penalty to -1/40 Active Points
A Media Skill Roll at a -1 penalty per 10 Real Cost must be made
- If the Runecrafter opted to take two hours per 10 Active Points, this penalty is reduced to -1/20 Real Cost
- If the Runecrafter opted to take four hours per 10 Active Points, this penalty is reduced to -1/40 Real Cost

If the KS: Knowledge Skill is failed but the Media Skill Roll is successful then the Rune looks correct but lacks Magical potency.

The time spent does not have to be uninterrupted; a Runecrafter could slowly eke out a Rune over a long chronological period if they wanted to for some reason. For instance, a Runecrafter could spend an hour every other day for a month working on a Rune that required 15 hours of work, or do it in 15 hours straight, or any other combination adding up to 15 hours worked at their option.

BASE ITEMS

I MADE THIS! BONUS

Runecrafters gain a +2 bonus to their KS: Runecrafting and Media Skill Rolls to add a Rune to any Item they created from scratch.

EXAMPLE: Gruarg the Runecrafter knows the Rune of Dyrnu, which is used to make a powerful kind of Magic Axe.

SAMPLE RUNE EFFECT

Rune of Dyrnu: Multipower, 62-point reserve, all slots Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (93 Active Points); all slots Independent (-2), OIF (Axe; -1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2); Real Cost: 23 Character Points

Heavy Blow: HKA 4d6 (vs. PD) (60 Active Points); Real Cost: 1u
Sweeping Blow: HKA 2d6+1 (vs. PD), Area Of Effect Contiguous To User (4" Any Area; +3/4) (61 Active Points); Real Cost: 1u
Hacking Blow: HKA 3d6-1 (vs. PD), Armor Piercing (+1/2) (60 Active Points); Real Cost: 1u
Rapid Blows: HKA 2d6-1 (vs. PD), +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4), Autofire (3 shots; +1/4), Non-Standard Attack Power (+1) (62 Active Points); Real Cost: 1u

Effective Active Points for Creation Purposes: 133 Active Points *

Total Real Cost: 27 Character Points; Average Market Price: 17,955 xc

* NOTE: See the Magic Item Guidelines document for guidance on creating Magic Items as Power Frameworks.

If Gruarg has never made such an item before he must first conduct 27 Hours of Research & Experimentation followed by a successful KS: Runecrafting Skill Roll at a -3 penalty (based upon the Real Cost).

After this period of Research & Experimentation, or on the second and succeeding attempts to create the Rune, Gruarg must spend 13.3 Hours (AP/10 in hours) inscribing the Rune into an Axe, at the end of which he must make a KS: Runecrafting Skill Roll at a -13 penalty and a PS: Engraving Skill Roll at a -3 penalty.

If Gruarg took twice as long, 26.6 Hours, to inscribe the Rune then he would take a -7 penalty to his KS: Runeforing Skill Roll and a -1 penalty to his PS: Engraving Skill Roll.

If Gruarg took four times as long, 53.2 Hours, to inscribe the Rune then he would take a -3 penalty to his KS: Runeforing Skill Roll and no penalty to his PS: Engraving Skill Roll.

TATTOOS AS PERMANENT MAGIC ITEMS

Tattoo Magic is a flavorful and interesting idea, but it does present some problems within the confines of the way Magic Items are handled by this Magic System. However, the difficulties can be overcome.

Since tattoos cannot be taken away from the person they are inscribed upon, the Independent and Focus Limitations are not appropriate. This essentially means that tattoos based on Permanent Runes cannot be created by Runecrafters using the guidelines for making Permanent Magic Items given above. There are a few options to work around this; a particular GM might opt for one or more these options as they see fit; personally I use the Extraordinary Magical Powers option for Runic tattoos that are always on or available, and Runic Tattoos as Recovered Charges for all other Runic tattoos.

Runic Tattoo as Extraordinary Magical Power: One option is to allow an exception to the "Must be Independent Foci" guideline for Permanent Magic Items but require the full Real Cost of the Powers in a Runic tattoo to be paid by recipients. This is a very powerful option, but the Real Cost of such tattoos should control abuse. Runic tattoos used in this fashion are essentially just a justification for a character to buy an extraordinary ability which might otherwise not be allowed. Physical Manifestation should be used for such Powers; the skin that the Rune is tattooed on can be damaged, ruining the Rune. This method costs Character Points and counts as a Permanent Magic Item.
Runic Tattoos as Recovered Charges: Another option is to build such Tattoos as if they were an Ephemeral Magic Item but allow the Charges to be Recovered. Note that this does not refer to "Recoverable Charges"; rather it refers to Charges being recovered normally per day as opposed to being Non-recoverable as is normal for Ephemeral Items. Continuing Charges and Boostable Charges are also allowed under this implementation. This is a solid hybrid approach, combining elements of both of the previous options and is the option generally used in my campaigns. This method does cost Character Points and counts as a Permanent Magic Item.
Runic Tattoos as Ephemeral Items with Many Charges: Another option is to make tattoos Ephemeral Magic Items with enough Non-Recoverable Charges to last effectively forever. The Charges Power Modifier caps out as a +1 Advantage after 250 Charges, and thus effectively an infinite number of Charges is still just a +1 Advantage. This maintains the letter of the guidelines, but is exceptionally open to abuse and should be carefully considered by a GM. This method does not cost Character Points and counts as an Ephemeral Magic Item.

RUNIC TATTOO AS EXTRAORDINARY POWER EXAMPLE

Daen's Rune of Mind Screams I: Ego Attack 3d6 (30 Active Points); Physical Manifestation (Rune of Mind Screams; -1/4), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Extra Time (Delayed Phase, -1/4);

Real Cost: 17 points [3 END]; Average Market Price: 510 xc

RUNIC TATTOO AS RECOVERED CHARGES EXAMPLE

Daen's Rune of Mind Screams II: Ego Attack 3d6 (30 Active Points); 6 Boostable Charges (-1/2), Physical Manifestation (Rune of Mind Screams; -1/4), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Extra Time (Delayed Phase, -1/4);

Real Cost: 13 points; Average Market Price: 390 xc

RUNIC TATTOO AS HIGH NUMBER OF CHARGES EXAMPLE

Daen's Rune of Mind Screams III: Ego Attack 3d6, 16000 Charges which Never Recover (+1/2) (45 Active Points); Physical Manifestation (Rune of Mind Screams; -1/4), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Extra Time (Delayed Phase, -1/4);

Real Cost: 26 points (not paid); Average Market Price: 1170 xc

NUMBER OF TATTOOS PER PERSON

This option is in effect in my campaigns.

For obvious reasons a GM might wish to place restrictions on how many Runic Tattoos an individual person can have. If such a restriction is desired, it is recommended that a character can have Runic Tattoos with an Active Point total less than or equal to 20% of their total points. Thus a character with 125 total points could have up to 25 Active Points worth of Runic Tattoos, while a character with 250 total points could have up to 50 Active Points worth of Runic Tattoos.

RUNE SIZES AND ACCESSIBILITY

As a general "rule of thumb" the more powerful a Rune is, as determined by it's total Active Points, the larger and/or more complex it should visibly be.

As previously noted, all Ephemeral Runes and Runic tattoos must take Physical Manifestation; the Physical Manifestation must be reasonably detectible for such Runes to work. Further it is not unreasonable for a GM in fairness to other characters to decide that high Active Point Ephemeral Runes look more impressive to the naked eye and thus are more likely to be avoided or countered.

With Permanent Runic Magic Items the Obviousness and size of the Focus employed as the vehicle for the Magic Item somewhat determines how visible the Runes upon the Item should be. On small Inobvious Foci the Runes can be scaled appropriately minute, and conversely a Rune on an Obvious and Bulky Focus should be scaled appropriately large and noticeable. Also, while all Runes should always be noticeable when they are activated or in use when observed directly, Runes on some Inobvious Foci may not be readily visible if the Item the are inscribed upon is not visible..

Further, while Runes may be placed in difficult to reach places, they should still be accessible in some reasonable fashion in most circumstances, otherwise the Physical Manifestation Limitation would not truly be limiting.