Initial Runes for Runecasters

In the list of runes below, those marked with an asterisk (*) are recommended for consideration as initial runes both for their lower levels of power and their usefulness in an adventure-oriented game, and those with a plus sign (+) are considered more powerful, to be held until later.

Beast-rune enables the caster to speak with a single specific animal for which it is cast.

Berserk-rune bonuses a specific character's chance to hit, damage, and hit points in a specific battle.

Catch-rune enables a specific character to catch normal hand-held weapons (not arrows, magic missiles, or hurled boulders) thrown at him in a specific battle.

Change-rune changes the caster into the form of a specific natural animal for d6 hours. It does not confer special powers of the animal.

+Charm-rune is a very dangerous love charm. If miscast it may have undesired effects; even when cast correctly, there may be unexpected consequences.

+Disease-rune steals constitution from the targeted victim until the victim dies.

Fortune-rune tells the future in general terms related to the fate of a selected character. It is not useful in determining specific or immediate information.

*Iron-can't-bite-rune reduces damage from all weapon-based attacks when worn as a carved amulet. It must be activated immediately upon being carved, but lasts until the amulet is removed, the character is reduced to zero hit points, or a potent magic item deactivates it.

*Limb-rune is used to heal injuries and similar damage measured in hit points. It must be carved into the limb of a live tree, and the wounded's blood touched to it.

+Lore-rune enables the character to induce a prophetic dream in himself within d6 nights in answer to a specific question which is worked into the carving of the rune. There are serious consequences if the rune fails.

Luck-rune confers the Viking gift of good luck upon a specified character, expressed as a +1 (or where appropriate -1) bonus to all rolls of a specific die selected by the caster (included in the carving of the rune). The effect lasts from sunrise to sunset on a single day. If the rune is miscast, it results in bad luck of the same type on the same die for the same period. Only one such rune is permitted per character, and the character must carry the rune for the good luck to be effective.

+Nid-rune (pronounced nith, with the voiced "th" as in "bathe" or "then") enables the caster to fashion a curse against a targeted individual. There are many hazards to this rune, ranging from backfire of the curse on the caster to discovery of the rune and the subsequent identification of the one who carved it.

Quench-rune can extinguish a fire up to the size of a house, provided it is carved for a fire at that particular place.

Sea-rune must be carved on several parts of a ship, with the result that the craft is more seaworthy. It is usually done when the ship is built, but may be added later, although the advantages are not as great.

*Shield-rune is carved on a shield for a particular fighter. As long as the warrior carries the shield, it gives him a +1 bonus on saving throws. It ceases to function if the character looses a duel or flees a battle.

*Shout-rune undoes bonds, chains, and locks, and opens locked doors. It must be carved in the object to be opened, and is activated by shouting the activation word.

Sight-rune enables the carver to see things about the fate of the individual for which it is carved. It works only once, and is used primarily for fortune telling.

Speech-rune protects the one for whom it is carved from slander and defamation, and also prevents anyone from casting runes against him, both for twelve hours, and both subject to a save by the character attempting to act against the one protected.

*Strength-rune bonuses the target's strength by d3 points for d4 hours; the effects are reduced to 10% increments once the strength reaches 18.

*Triumph-rune is carved in two places on a weapon, and designed to give bonuses to hit and to damage as long as the designated warrior uses that weapon in the specified battle. It cannot be combined with other runes which bonus hit probability or damage.

+Water-rune permanently protects the character for whom it is carved, provided it is set adrift in the ocean. It confers upon him the ability to swim, as well as extensive other protections which are not absolute but practical.

The DM may create additional runes which suit his campaign or inspire his imagination.

M. J. Young's Dungeons & Dragons Materials
Collection of such pages as the much-praised Alignment Quiz, What is an RPG? (excerpted from Multiverser), the highly valued Confessions of a Dungeons & Dragons™ Addict, along with special rules and player aids in both written and computer formats, this site was highly praised by RAWS, linked by Gary Gygax, and is worth a look even if you don't like what you found here.

The Multiverser Information Center
The complexity of creating a D&D character always reminds me of how much simpler it is to play Multiverser®, the game which incorporates all other games, all other worlds, everything imaginable, with nothing else to buy.

Temporal Anomalies in Popular Movies
There are enough time travel films out there now that most of the things which could go wrong in time have been shown on the silver screen. This page applies a new conception of how time works (discussed in the Multiverser® game system to help referees sort out game scenarios in which player characters travel in time) to unraveling the most popular of such movies. An Event Horizon Hot Spot and Sci Fi Weekly Site of the Week which has won the author national recognition as an authority on time travel in fiction.