Runes
Runic items are built by combining individual runes, each with its own points cost and effect, rather than being picked as a single fixed magic item. Five rules govern how runes may be combined:
- Rule of Three -- No single item can have more than three runes. It is virtually impossible to forge items able to bear the strain of carrying so much power. Runesmiths call this the Rule of Three.
- Rule of Form -- Weapon runes can only be inscribed on weapons (always hand weapons), armour runes can only be inscribed on armour, banner runes can only be inscribed on standards, engineering runes can only be inscribed on war machines, and talismanic runes can only be inscribed on talismans. The one exception is the Master Rune of Kragg the Grim, which can only be placed on a great weapon -- and, once inscribed, allows that same great weapon to carry other Weapon Runes too.
- Rule of Pride -- No more than one item may carry the same combination of runes. You could not have two runic weapons both engraved with a Rune of Speed and a Rune of Fire, for example, or more than one standard bearing two Runes of Battle. This restriction also applies to the use of single runes, so you could not have two characters in your army wearing armour engraved with only a single Rune of Iron, for example.
- Jealous Runes -- No master rune may be used more than once per army, and no more than one master rune can be inscribed on an item. Master runes are so powerful that they cannot be combined together on the same item or used together on the same battlefield.
- Free combination -- Apart from the master runes (which can only be used once), other runes can be combined as you wish, to produce varied or cumulative effects. With the exception of master runes, most runes can be used in multiples, although whether their effects are simply added together or combine into a new power will be stated within the rune's own rules. To reflect this, the points costs for multiples of the same rune do not necessarily increase in a uniform manner.