See the list of Runes.
Runecasting is the art of understanding something better by means of drawing a stone inscribed with a rune from a bag. The rune has a special meaning which will be given in the listing for the runes. The Runecaster simply draws a rune from his bag, and rolls. Based on his success roll, the GM will tell him what rune he draws. The result should be based on the importance of the information. For example, if a runecaster meets a new person and draws a rune, then rolls a Poor, the GM may tell him something meaningless (for example, Arlon the Messenger, which indicates long journeys. This indicates that the person has been on a long journey, or may be about to go on one, and while being true it is meaningless to the astrologer). If he rolls a Fair, the GM may give him slightly more information (such as Lorath the Sage, which means something hidden or lost, indicating there is some unseen side to this
person). If the result is Good, the GM gives more important information (Stagamensus the Warlord, indicating he is a great warrior… however, this is kind of open-ended. Is he a great
warrior that will help the party, or will he fight them?). On an Excellent, the GM would give all the information needed (“You draw Stagamensus the Warlord, and instantly get a bad feeling. This guy means you harm”).
Runecasting Spells[]
A Runecaster may use his runecasting skill once per play session to effect a situation. The runecaster must first choose the situation he wishes to effect. This must be a situation that he is aware of and which is ongoing. He may choose something that is happening currently and will be over shortly, such as a single battle or a game of chance his party is involved in, or it may be something that he foresees happening and which may continue on for a while, such as an investigation or a scenario a diviner has seen in the near future. It cannot be something that will be indefinite, and whatever the situation is, it must have a definite end. For example, the runecaster could not choose “Every battle that me and my party are ever in.”
The runecaster then draws a random rune, by rolling d% and comparing his roll to the number on the Random Runecasting section of the Runes chart. The listing for the rune will define what the rune indicates. Whenever an action is taken that falls within the confines of that rune’s are of influence and will lead toward the completion of the scenario chosen by the runecaster (much like a Destiny or Fate characteristic) there will be a bonus (or penalty) to the roll for that action. For example, if the runecaster draws Stagamensus the Warlord, then every combat that is integral to the scenario chosen by the runecaster will receive a bonus (or, unfortunately, sometimes a penalty). The runecaster, upon randomly choosing a rune, will then roll on his Runecasting skill modified by Willpower. On a Critical Failure, there will be a -2 penalty. On a failure, there will be a -1 penalty. On a Poor result, there will be no bonus or penalty. On a Fair, there will be a +1 penalty. On a Good, there will be +2, and on an Excellent there will be a +3. For any rank of success in the Exceptional field, add a +1 bonus per rank above Excellent.
The GM should remember that if the scenario lasts beyond the current play session, the bonus
continues into the following play sessions until the situation is resolved.
Cartomancy and Runecasting[]
If a diviner has runecasting and a bag of runes or a deck of Tarot cards, he may perform a similar reading to astrology. He must tell the GM the subject of his reading and lay out three cards or runes. The first indicates the past, or what caused the subject to be in its current situation. The second represents the present, or what currently holds sway over the subject. The third is the future, or what will happen if the subject does not change its course. The GM privately rolls using the character’s Runecasting modified by Intellect. Without telling the diviner the result of the roll, he gives three runes, as described above. If the roll was Poor or less, all three are false. If the roll was Fair, two of them are false. If the roll was Good or better, all three of them are correct. A Runecaster or Cartomancer who also has the Astrology skill may make up their own spreads of one to four cards, but they must explain the meaning of the layout to the GM and get his approval before using it. For example, they could do a one-card draw to get a vital piece of information about the subject, or they could do a four-card spread where each spot corresponds to a different celestial house as described in the section on astrology. If they really wanted to, and the GM would allow it, they could even do a classic Celtic Cross spread (look it up!), but in any of these cases, the GM would have to decipher on his own the meaning of the result of the roll.