Runescribing
Runescribing is a matter of drawing a symbol, called a rune, and invoking it's power to cause an effect. Each rune is slightly different for each inscriber, so an Ignum rune drawn by one inscriber will look similar to, but different to one drawn by another. While runescribing is not as potent as spellcasting the versatility of being able to use runes at any amount of times per day is incredibly useful.
The process of runescribing includes various steps and procedures, especially if an inscriber plans on engaging in combat. At the beginning of the day, an inscriber must spend one hour drawing all the runes he plans on binding to himself in a single array and invoking the power. To do this, the inscriber must be able to have at least two square feet of space to draw the array and a way of drawing it. For each rune chosen, an inscriber must choose a spot on his body to transfer the rune. The following areas available are shown below:
- Head- This area is usually for anything pertaining to perception and the mind.
- Throat- This area is usually for anything that provides an effect relating to speech or sound originating from the inscriber.
- Torso- This area relates towards defenses and physical stamina.
- Hands- The hands and/or arms relates mostly towards offensive capability and crafting.
- Feet- This usually relates with movement and speed.
An inscriber may only have one rune inscribed on each slot, and runes have an additional effect if bound to a certain slot. Thus, an inscriber may only have access to five runes at any one time. An inscriber may spend another hour to relocate his runes or swap them out for others that he knows. Bound runes last for 24 hours or until unbound, whichever is sooner. To invoke an inscription array or inscription tag an inscriber must have the rune being invoked bound to him.
After binding his runes, an inscriber may now draw an inscription array and channel the power from that array to provide an effect. Drawing an inscription array provides an attack of opportunity just like casting a spell. A concentration check must be made if struck while drawing an inscription and if failed, that round worth of drawing is lost. Various inscriptions have different inscribing times, but once the array is finished the inscriber may spend a free action to invoke it's power and create the effect. An inscription array need not be drawn all at once, but an incomplete one lasts only for one minute after the last round of partial inscribing has been made. You may only partially inscribe a rune by taking a move action or a full-round action, and it takes two move actions to equal one round of inscribing. Inscription arrays last for 24 hours, but when invoked are destroyed.
Inscription tags are used for on-the-spot runescribing. Inscription tags are small strips of paper with an inscription array already drawn on it. They follow the same rules as inscribing, and only last 24 hours. Using an inscription tag and activating the power of the rune uses a standard action. Inscription tags that use inscriptions that require a melee touch attack may be used as a swift action instead. Activating an inscription tag provokes an attack of opportunity. (No limit as of yet)
