RULES

RUNE
What Is This?
This is a selection of the rules for RUNE. RUNE is still in
development, which means the rules found in this document are
not finalized. Not only are they subject to change, but they do not
cover all aspects of the game as well.

What Is RUNE?
RUNE is a solo soulslike RPG that is currently being developed
by Spencer Campbell of Gila RPGs. It combines narrative world
exploration with tactical and deadly combat. You can learn more
on the RUNE website.

Trying These Rules

If you would like to playtest these rules, the best way is to play
the Grim Coast Realm found in the quick start materials. It uses
nearly all of the rules found in this document, and will give you a
feel for what the cycle of play of a single Realm feels like.

Kickstarter
RUNE is on Kickstarter! I am funding a printed version of the
rulebook, including an example Realm, plus a digital collection of
Realms for you to explore.
Realms
What is a Realm?
When the world of Obron was shattered, those who sought
power, or saw their opportunity, seized control of the now
countless Realms of the world. Realms are distinct regions of the
world, each unique from the others, though they share common
features as they are all of Obron.

In RUNE, think of a Realm as a “mini world” for you to explore.

Within the Realm’s borders they will find a great number of
enemies, mysteries, items of power, and secrets to uncover.

When playing RUNE, choose a Realm to explore. Once there,

you must wander the lands, dying again and again as you piece
together the story of that cursed place. Eventually, when you are
ready, you will strike down the Rune Lord presiding over the
Realm, and break the region free from its fate. Great power goes
to the players who can do this, and there is always another Realm
to explore over the next horizon…
Engraved
You are an Engraved. You are one of the few who can carve
Runes into your very being. Deathless, you will do whatever it
takes to regain control of your fate.

Rune Lords
Each Realm had a powerful Rune carved into it, and countless
died at those sites of power until only the most devious and
wicked came out on top. These are the Rune Lords, and they
control the countless Realms of Obron.

Rune Lords are incredibly dangerous enemies in RUNE. They

are the “boss” of the Realm. Slaying them gives you access to that
Realms Rune, a power that is carved into their very being.

Runes
Each Rune Lord will give you a powerful Rune if you defeat
them. Runes are the form of advancement in RUNE, besides
collecting new Gear.

Runes provide powerful bonuses to you, and as you collect more

you can choose which ones to equip to fit your build.

Collect enough of them, and you might just be able to break free
from your cycle of death.
Exploration
Cycle of Play
RUNE goes through a cycle of play between Exploration and
Combat. Play begins with Exploration, as you explore the Realm
that you have wandered into. During Exploration, you will be
faced with threats. When that happens, play switches to Combat.

Uniqueness of Realms
Each Realm of RUNE is unique, which means there are
opportunities for the rules to fluctuate between Realms. The
rules here represent the “typical” setup and rules for exploration.
Though you may find that the details for how some of these rules
function vary from Realm to Realm.

Exploration
During the Exploration phase, you will travel across the Realm in
search of power, resources, and the Rune Lord. Exploration is
done using a “pointcrawl” system, meaning travel is done
between meaningful Points on the map.

Point Actions
The Points noted on the map are important locations. There are
four possible actions that can be completed at a Point. Points will
not always have all four of these actions, and some Points may
have multiple instances of these actions.
Fight
Points are dangerous, and oftentimes house enemies ready to
fight you. These enemies must be dealt with before the Point can
be fully explored. No other actions may be chosen at a Point until
the fight is won. However, you can always leave without
completing any fights if you would like.

A fight lists the enemies involved and their locations on the

combat grid, as well as any terrain. It also tells you your starting
position.

Some enemies are Unique, and are labeled as such. Unique

enemies do not come back whenever you die (see Death) or rest
at a Sigil. Their deaths are permanent. Unique enemies that are
listed at multiple Points do not appear anymore if they have been
killed.

If a fight has a Unique enemy as well as non-Unique enemies, the

other enemies do come back when you die or rest. The fight is
unmarked, but the Unique enemy is no longer a part of it.

A B C D
1
2
3
4
Example of the combat grid
Search
Valuable items can be found to those that take the time to look
for them. The search action tells you what items you will find.
These items may be resources that you can use during
exploration (e.g. a health vial that recovers 2 Health) or
important items related to the Realm (e.g. a key to a locked door
at another Point).

Sometimes searching has a requirement that must be met before

you are able to do it, such as having a necessary Lore score.

Learn
Studying the Realm and understanding its secrets is crucial to
surviving long enough to face the Rune Lord. The learn action
provides you with a piece of information about the Realm.
Sometimes this hints to discoveries at other Points, or how to
solve mysteries presented elsewhere.

When you do the learn action, you increase your Lore score +1,
showing you have a better understanding of the Realm. See Lore
on the next page for details on what Lore does.

Delve
With the right preparation, you can take on dangerous tasks.
Delves have specific requirements that must be met, but will
provide you with valuable rewards. Delves act as a mix of Fight,
Search and Learn actions, but typically require you to have a key
item to access them, or to have accomplished a task elsewhere in
the Realm for the Delve to be possible.

Marking Actions
Whenever you complete an action at a Point, mark it to show
that it has been completed. Actions cannot be repeated unless the
Point says otherwise. You must decide when is the right time to
search, learn, and delve into the various Points of the Realm.
Travel
The map for RUNE Realms is a
“pointcrawl” map. This means
that the important locations have
been labeled, and the paths that
connect those Points are shown.
When traveling, you may travel
from your current Point to any
Point it is connected to with a
line.

Some paths may change over the

course of Exploration. New
paths may become available through actions at Points, while
other paths may disappear. Similarly, Points may appear or
disappear from the map as well. If either of these are the case, the
Realm’s rules will outline when this happens.

In addition, some Realms have costs or dangers that are part of

travel, such as random encounters. Look at the Realm’s specific
rules for travel.

Lore
Lore is an abstract representation of your knowledge about the
Realm. Realms are full of secrets and mysteries, and they will
only start to unravel if you are willing to explore and look for the
answers. You always start with a Lore score of 0 at the beginning
of a Realm.

Increased understanding of the Realm comes with benefits. For

example, many actions at Points are inaccessible unless you have
a minimum Lore score. Typically the more valuable actions
require you to have some knowledge of the land, so taking the
time to increase your Lore score is an opportunity you shouldn’t
pass on.

Lore is most often increased through the learn action at a point.

Some other actions may also result in increasing your Lore score,
such as completing a Delve, or killing an important enemy.
Death
You will die in your travels, it is your fate. But death is not your
end. Whenever you drop to 0 Health, you have died.

When you die, you are resurrected at the nearest Sigil Point on
the map. Resurrection gives you all of your health back, but at a
cost.

First, all of the fight actions at Points on the map are unmarked.
Your death has provided the Realm with energy, bringing your
enemies back to life as well. There are some exceptions to this.
Important or key enemies in the Realm do not return upon your
death and their fight actions are not unmarked. These enemies
are labelled as Unique.

Second, you suffer a death curse. Death curses take many forms,
and depend on the Realm. They may be temporary debuffs that
last for a number of advances on the Realm Clock, or until you
fulfill a certain requirement. Some stay with you during the rest
of your time in the Realm.

Sigils
Sigils are safe Points on the map. They have
a unique action, Rest, which allows you to
recover all of your missing health when
visiting a Sigil. If you do so, you must
unmark all Fight actions at the other Points
on the maps, excluding Unique enemies.
This is the same effect as if you had died and
resurrected at the Sigil, but without
suffering a death curse.

The number of Sigils on a map will vary,

with larger Realms typically having multiple
Sigils. If there are multiple Sigils, you may
travel from one Sigil to any other on the
map as a single action.
Realm Clock
Realms change with time. That change is represented by the
Realm Clock. The Realm Clock tracks an ongoing or upcoming
event in the Realm.

Each Realm has its own rules for what marks a segment of the
Realm Clock. Here are some examples:
• Moving between Points, or certain paths on the map
• Completing an action at a Point
• Resting or resurrecting at a Sigil Point

When the Realm Clock fills up, something important happens.

For some Realms, it may be a minor effect, such as the changing
of day to night. For others, it signals a major irreversible shift in
the Realm, such as a Point disappearing entirely from the map.

Realm Clocks are categorized as either repeating or singular. A

repeating Realm Clock is reset after filling up, and may be filled
up again as you continue Exploration. Singular Realm Clocks do
not reset, typically because they provide a very substantial change
to the Realm that cannot be repeated.

Here is an example clock from the Grim Coast Realm:

The following actions fill in a segment of the Clock:

• Moving between Points
• Completing any action at a Point

When the Clock is filled up, switch between Day or Night, and
reset the Clock. The actions that are available at a Point will
depend on if it is Day or Night.

DAY
NIGHT
Combat
RUNE combat takes place on a 4x4 grid. Each encounter is a
battle between the Engraved (you), and a number of Enemies.

When you see the word “character”, it refers to both Engraved

and Enemies.

Engraved
The Engraved is you. As the Engraved, you have the following
features:
• Health: Amount of Harm you can take before you’re dead.
• Stamina: Pool of d6 you roll on your turn to do things.
• Gear: Weapons and Utility items for combat.

Enemies
Enemies are the things the Engraved is trying to kill in combat.
An Enemy has the following features:
• Health: Amount of Harm they can take before they are dead.
• Action Sets: Collections of things the enemy does on its turn,
determined by a d6 roll.

Some enemies have a Special feature as well. This is an ongoing

passive effect, or triggered effect that takes place when a certain
situation happens during combat.

Health
Tracks the life of a character. When it reaches 0, they are dead.
Dead Enemies are removed from the grid. If the Engraved dies,
the combat is lost.

Some circumstances allow characters to recover Health through

healing.
 Rounds of Combat
Combat takes place across a series of rounds, until either the
Engraved has killed all of the enemies, or has died. Each round is
made of five steps.

Step 1: Determine Enemy Actions

Each Enemy has a number of Action Sets, collections of actions
that they could potentially take this round. A d6 is rolled for each
Enemy to determine which Action Set they will be using.

Action Sets have a number of actions, including but not limited

to, moving, dealing Harm, and blocking Harm.

Step 2: Enemies Move & Non-Harm Actions

If an Enemy’s Action Set this round has a Move action in it, the
Enemy now moves. Enemies will always move towards the
closest range (see Range) that they are effective at.

For example, the Soldier enemy has a range of “Same &

Adjacent.” This means that if the Soldier ever moves, they will
always try to be in the same space as the Engraved, as that is the
closest range they are effective at.

Another example. The Caster enemy has a range of “2 & 3

Spaces.” This means that while they can hit at 3 spaces away, if
the Caster has a move action, they will try to get to 2 spaces away
from the Engraved when possible.

The order Enemies move is up to you. There will be times where

you can interpret multiple paths an Enemy could take. Make
decisions that create the combat scenario you prefer.

In addition, if an enemy has any actions that are not dealing or

blocking Harm, they are completed now. For example, an enemy
that summons other enemies would do so during Step 2.
Step 3: Determine Engraved Actions
The Engraved rolls a pool of d6 equal to their Stamina Pool.
These dice represent all the things the Engraved can do during
this round.

Dice are allocated to Gear, based on the value rolled, to

determine what the Engraved will do this round.

Alternatively, the Engraved may add two dice together and use
them for a piece of Gear to get a desired result. For example, they
may add a 2 and 4 to use the 6 outcome of a piece of Gear.

Summed dice must use their exact value. For example, a 3 and 4
are summed to 7, and cannot be used for a 6 outcome on a piece
of Gear.

If there are any unspent Stamina, they are lost and not used this
round.

Step 4: Engraved Moves

After allocating dice, if the Engraved has selected any Gear
outcomes that allow them to move, they may do so. Engraved do
not have to move if they do not want to.

Step 5: Determine Harm

Engraved and Enemies resolve the rest of the round at the same
time. Any Harm dealt by the Engraved’s Gear is calculated, as
well as Harm from Enemy Action Sets. If any Gear or Action Sets
Block Harm, that amount of Harm is reduced from the total
Harm dealt.

The Engraved deals their Harm to any eligible Enemies, based on

if they are in range of their Weapons. The Engraved must
allocate all of their Harm to a single Enemy unless their Gear
allows them otherwise. The Enemies deal their Harm to the
Engraved. Enemies still deal their Harm to the Engraved, even if
they are killed by the Engraved.
 Movement & The Grid
The 4x4 grid represents where the combat is taking place.
Enemies and the Engraved will move to different spaces in the
grid throughout the fight.

Movement
When a character moves, they move to an adjacent space to their
current space, with the following restrictions:
1. They must move orthogonally. Characters cannot move
diagonally unless specified otherwise.
2. They may enter the space of another character. But, only two
characters may be in the same space, no more.

Range & Distances

Range or distance on the grid are tracked by the number of
spaces away something is. Range of Gear or enemy actions tell
you specifically how far away the target must be for the action to
have effect. For example, the Sling has a range of 2 spaces. This
means the Engraved can use the Sling against any enemy that is
exactly 2 spaces away.

The term adjacent is used to describe any space orthogonal to the

current or targeted space on the grid.

Two characters may occupy the same space, though a space can
have at maximum two characters in it. When an enemy is in the
same space as the Engraved, the enemy deals an additional +1
Harm when calculating Harm.
Terrain & Line of Sight
Occasionally the grid will have terrain.

There are two types of terrain: permanent and difficult.

Permanent terrain represents large objects or obstructions

scattered around the battlefield. No character can move through
permanent terrain, unless specified otherwise.

Similarly, permanent terrain may block the line of sight between

a character and their target, making them unable to hit one
another.

For example, if you wanted to use your Sling on an enemy and

there was a piece of permanent terrain directly between you, you
would not be able to hit them unless you moved.

If a line can be drawn from one corner of a character’s space to

another corner without moving along or through permanent
terrain, they are considered to have line of sight.

Difficult terrain represents spaces

that are challenging to get through.
When moving into or through
difficult terrain, a character must
spend 2 Move in order to move 1
space. If they do not have enough
Move from Gear or their Action Set,
they are unable to move onto that
space and must go around. When
leaving difficult terrain and moving
onto a normal space on the grid, you
do not need to spend 2 Move.
Hazards
Another feature that can be added to the grid are Hazards.
Hazards refers to any sort of trap, spell, elemental effect, or
otherwise dangerous situation on a specific space on the grid.
There are two types of Hazards: Triggered and Timed.

Triggered hazards are intentionally placed on the grid by the

characters. For example, the Engraved might place a Snare on a
space that would temporarily capture any enemy that steps on
the space and prevent them from acting further this round.

Triggered hazards remain on the grid until they are activated,

most typically by a character moving onto the hazard’s space.
Triggered hazards and their specific effects are found on their
respective pieces of Gear or enemy Action Set.

Timed hazards remain on the grid for a specific number of

rounds before they disappear. They function in the same way as a
triggered hazard, but differ in two important ways. First, they
will eventually leave the grid after a certain amount of time, even
if they are never activated.

Second, some timed hazards are intentionally created by Gear or

Action Sets, and some are an aftermath effect from another
action (such as a space being lit on fire from a spell). Timed
hazards and their specific effects are found on their respective
pieces of Gear or enemy Action Set.
 Gear
Gear represents the armaments, weapons, spells, and more that
the Engraved carries with them into combat. Gear is split into
two primary categories: Weapons & Utility.

Weapons
The Engraved can have up to two Weapons equipped during
combat. Weapons come in a wide variety of types (swords,
shields, spells, axes, etc.).

Using Weapons
Weapons can be used in combat based on the values of the
Stamina dice rolled by the Engraved. Weapons have a list of
values, and the outcomes of using that Weapon for each of those
values.

In addition, most Weapons have a specific range that you must

use them at. This is noted under the Weapon’s name on the card.
The Weapon is unable to deal Harm to any targets that are not
within range. Some Weapons do not have a range, either because
they do not deal Harm (e.g. shields), or their range varies
depending on the Stamina die assigned to them.

In combat, a Weapon can only be used once per round by the

Engraved. For example, if the Engraved rolled a 3 and a 6 with
their Stamina, they would not be able to assign both of them to
their Long Sword and attack twice with it. They must choose one
die to use with the Long Sword, and use the other die on another
piece of Gear.

Keep in mind, not all dice values work for every Weapon. Part of
the game is the Engraved figuring out the best way to use the
dice that have been rolled, allocating them in the way that fits the
situation of the fight, or summing dice when necessary.
Utility Gear
Refers to a wide range of pieces of equipment that the Engraved
might have on them that enhance their abilities. This could
include armor, amulets, rings, etc. The Engraved can have two
pieces of Utility Gear equipped at a time.

Generally, Utility Gear provides the Engraved bonuses in

combat. This may include flat bonuses (e.g. +2 Health) or abilities
that they may use during their turn (e.g. Recover 3 Health).

Utility Gear is conditionally active, meaning certain criteria must

be met in order for the Engraved to receive the item’s effects.

There are a number of different situations that might be required

for a piece of Utility Gear to be activated. Here are some:

• Positioning on the battlefield (e.g. surrounded by enemies on

3 sides)
• Conditions of the Engraved (e.g. at half health, currently
suffering from a death curse, etc.)
• Dice values (e.g. specific rolled values, pairs of dice, etc.)

If a piece of Utility Gear requires certain dice values to be

activated, those dice do not need to be assigned to the Utility
Gear in order for the effect to take place.

Instead, the effect takes place whenever those dice values are
rolled, as a passive effect on top of them being assigned to
Weapons.

For example, the Amulet of Dawn requires a “Pair” of dice values.

This means any round where the Engraved rolls a pair with their
Stamina (e.g. rolling to 4s), the Amulet is activated for the round.
The dice are not assigned to the Amulet. Just by rolling the pair
the effect of the item is granted to the Engraved.
More
Try More Now!
Want to play RUNE right now? Go check out the Grim Coast
Realm, where you can take these rules for a testdrive and face off
against the dreaded Ruined King.

Future of RUNE
RUNE is continuing to be developed, and there a lot more
changes and features to come in the final version!

Here are some of the things to look out for in either the core
rules, or some of the Realms in development:

• Random encounters to make Exploration

even more dangerous
• Character advancement rules through
collecting Runes and Gear
• Different ways to connect points on the
map. Dangerous vs. Safe travel. Slow vs. Fast
travel. Hidden vs. Discovered paths
• 2-Handed weapons and stance changing
• More lore of the world of Obron
• Rules for escaping deadly fights, and
overcoming fights you’ve seen before
• New ways for the Realm Clock to advance,
and effects for when it fills
• Lots of new weapons, utility gear, and
enemies to fight!

Back RUNE on Kickstarter today!