D&D Reference: Rune Guide

Just one more blog post for my D&D group, then we'll get back to my regular types of blog posts.

This is a guide with information on the runic tattoos the party has earned, as well as details on how these things work.

There are 12 locations in which you can get rune tattoos, each one corresponding to the location of a potential worn magical item. Here is a list of tattoo locations and their magical item equivalents:

• Head (equivalent to magical hoods, crowns, helms, headbands, etc)
• Face (equivalent to magical eyewear, masks)
• Neck (equivalent to magical brooches, necklaces, etc)
• Shoulders (equivalent to magical capes, cloaks, etc)
• Upper torso (equivalent to a magical vest, shirt, etc worn under the armor)
• Lower torso (equivalent to magical armor or robes)
• Waist and upper legs (equivalent to a magical belt)
• Feet and lower legs (equivalent to magical boots, shoes, etc)
• Arms (equivalent to magical bracers)
• Hands (equivalent to magical gloves)
• Fingers (x2) (equivalent to magical rings)

Tattoos must be symmetrical (having the same effect on both feet, both arms, etc) with the exception of the fingers, which may be different on each hand (thus, two different finger tattoos, just as a character can wear two different magical rings).

Runic tattoos are permanent, and the only cease to function upon the removal of the affected body part. For instance, if someone were to chop off your right hand you would lose the effects of the finger runes on your right hand. However, you would retain the effects of your hand runes unless both hands are severed. If your limbs are regenerated the tattoos return as well. The only way to completely remove the tattoos is to be reincarnated into a new body, as the druid spell.

The tattoos adapt as the body grows stronger, potentially granting stronger effects at higher levels.

The tattoos null the effects of any magical items that would normally affect that part of the body. For instance, a magical necklace would become a regular necklace if worn with neck runes. The sole exception is lower torso runes, which actually may work in tandem with magical armor to some degree. And even if the magical armor doesn't work with the runes, armor is still armor and provides its normal defensive bonus.

That said, here are the available runes for each part of the body. The exact effects are unknown unless a character has chosen that rune before.

• Head
• Sight rune - improves your vision
• Intellect - improves your capacity for knowledge
• Mind shield - protects your mind from psychic assaults
• Face
• Artifice - discern the true value of objects
• Accuracy - improve proficiency with ranged attacks
• grants Precise Shot feat (Tyriron)
• Penetrating Gaze - see weaknesses in magical defense; spellcasters only
• +2 to overcome spell resistance (John Freeman)
• Neck
• Understanding - improves your awareness, willpower, intuition
• +2 Wisdom (Ere-sat)
• Thick Skin - improves the body's natural defenses again external attacks
• Purity - improves the body's defenses against internal attacks; poisons, disease
• Shoulders
• Charm - improves your presence and natural ability to communicate
• Luck - a somewhat fickle rune that may improve your fortune
• Concealment - allows you to suppress your presence
• Upper torso
• Resistance - improves mental, bodily, and reflexive resistances
• Antipyro - resists flames and fire attacks
• 5 resistance to Fire (Buck)
• Health - improves general health and hardiness
• Lower torso
• Armor - armors the body or reinforces existing armor
• Anticryo/Basic/Grounding - resistance to cold, acid, or electricity, depending on choice
• Fortification - runes that protect your body's most vulnerable locations
• Waist
• Physique - improves raw physical strength
• Combat - improves your combat instincts
• Healing - grants the power to heal wounds
• Feet
• Movement - increases your running speed
• Traceless - lightens your step, making you harder to detect
• Tremors - enables you to sense things through the ground beneath your bare feet.
• Reflexes - your feet can react to danger before you mind does
• Arms
• Archery - provides uncanny prowess with ranged weapons
• proficiency with all bows, +1 damage (Tyriron)
• Shield - grants an invisible, weightless shield to protect you; does not function with nor nullify the effects of a real shield
• Arcane Focus -  improves the effectiveness of your chosen school of magic
• Hands
• Nimbleness - improves your reflexes, agility,and hand-eye coordination
• Pyromancy - allows you to ignite things with a snap of your fingers; requires at least one free, bare hand to do so
• 30ft ranged touch attack, 2d6 fire, as of 8th level (Buck)
• Restoration - grants rest and recovery to a creature; does not restore life or close wounds
• Fingers
• Protection - a magical field protects your body from harm
• Sustenance - drastically reduces your body's need for food, water, and rest
• Evasion -improves your body's ability to dodge away from damage
• Regeneration - allows your wounds to heal much faster than others'
• Spell storage - your fingers may store spells to be released at will
• Subversion - allows you to catch opponents unawares with your attacks

Alternately, if you have the gift, the Lord of the Nexus may teach you some basic rune magic, which is much like regular magic but without the daily limitations. Ere-sat and Tyriron have shown themselves to have the knack. Teaching this ability would come at the expense of one rune.