rune-crafting

Rune Crafting is an Inscription-driven enhancement system. A scribe crafts elemental enchanting runes from Rough Stones plus reagents, then double-clicks a finished rune and targets a piece of gear to apply its property. There is no quality system, no rune-combining system, and no composite runes - only the per-rune effects listed below.

  • Inscription is the main skill; it gates both rune crafting and rune application.
  • Magery 120.0 base is required to use the Rune Chisel. Without it, the gump reports “You don't have the required skill.”
  • A Rune Chisel must be on the crafter's person. It wears down with use like any standard crafting tool.
  • NPC scribes sell the Rune Chisel for 18,200 gp, stock of 20.

The crafting menu is the standard Inscription gump.

A stackable item (weight 1.0). One Rough Stone is consumed per enchanting rune, directly - there is no longer an intermediate Blank Rune step. Players also receive one Rough Stone every 4 hours from the Obelisk of the Rune Crafter (240-minute interval, 100 charges).

Rough Stones drop from mining and lumberjacking, and come up far more often from Gold Panning, which is the fastest way to gather them in quantity.

The Blank Rune recipe has been removed from the Rune Chisel menu - they can no longer be crafted.

Blank Runes you already own are not wasted. Every enchanting rune recipe accepts a Blank Rune in place of the Rough Stone, and the crafting menu lists the material as “Rough Stone or Blank Rune”.

Blank Runes now stack, and existing ones convert automatically. They keep their grey look.

  • All 50 enhancement runes, aglo through zu, stack in your pack, bank and storage the way reagents do. Drop matching runes onto each other to merge them.
  • Using a rune takes one from the stack, and a rune that shatters on a failed attempt costs you only that one rune.
  • Runes owned from before the change became stackable after the restart; drag old piles together once to merge them.
  • Enhancement runes weigh 1 stone each. They used to be almost weightless, so mind your carry weight when withdrawing a large stack from storage.
  • The icon is now a small solid block instead of the old recall-rune shape, so the quantity shows on the icon and stacks can be split when picked up.

Every rune type has its own colour, grouped by what it does. Runes you already own switched over automatically.

Rune Group Colour
Fire Reds
Cold Blue-greens
Poison Greens
Energy Purples
Physical Oranges
Stat bonuses Yellows
Casting runes Blues
Blank Rune (legacy) Grey

Every enchanting rune recipe consumes 1 Rough Stone (or a legacy Blank Rune) plus a quantity of Magery reagent(s).

Crafting straight from your Runecrafting Storage key, on its own or inside your Master Keys, works with either material:

  • If the key holds Blank Runes but no Rough Stone, the craft still succeeds.
  • Stored Blank Runes are used before stored Rough Stones.
  • When both are loose in your backpack either may be used. To be sure your Blank Runes go first, craft from the key or keep only Blank Runes in your pack.
Syllable Effect (item property applied) Inscription Min Inscription Max Reagent (qty) Application Skill Roll (min/max) Valid Targets
aglo Durability Bonus (+15..25) 70.5 102.5 Mandrake Root (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Jewelry
ahm Spell Channeling (+1) 75.0 120.0 Spiders Silk (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Jewelry
an Hit Dispel (+5..12) 60.5 100.0 Bat Wing (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
arma Use Best Weapon Skill 65.5 100.0 Pig Iron (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
bal Hit Stamina Leech (+5..12) 75.5 105.0 Nightshade (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
bala Balanced (ranged) 75.0 120.0 Spiders Silk (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Ranged weapon only
beh Stamina Regen (+1..3) 70.5 99.5 Bloodmoss (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
bet Hit Magic Arrow (+5..12) 52.5 100.0 Black Pearl (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
cah Mage Weapon / Mage Armor 60.0 95.0 Garlic (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon (MageWeapon +1..7), Armor / Shield / Clothing (MageArmor flag)
char Hit Lower Defense (+5..12) 65.5 105.0 Grave Dust (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
corp Spell Damage Increase (+1..7) 85.5 120.0 Grave Dust (7) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
del Cold Resist Bonus (+3..9) 70.5 100.0 Black Pearl (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Jewelry
des Hit Lower Attack (+5..12) 75.5 102.0 Daemon Blood (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
dium Physical Resist Bonus (+3..9) 70.5 100.0 Garlic (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Jewelry
ex Stamina Increase (+1..7) 80.5 110.0 Mandrake Root (7) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
flam Fire Resist Bonus (+3..9) 70.5 100.0 Sulfurous Ash (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Jewelry
flamus Hit Fire Area (+5..12) 70.5 100.0 Sulfurous Ash (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
frio Hit Cold Area (+5..12) 70.5 105.0 Black Pearl (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
furis Hit Energy Area (+5..12) 70.5 100.0 Pig Iron (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
gra Hit Life Leech (+5..12) 85.5 120.0 Nightshade (7) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
grav Hit Physical Area (+5..12) 70.5 100.0 Spiders Silk (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
hur Energy Resist Bonus (+3..9) 70.5 100.0 Black Pearl (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Jewelry
in Luck (+15/30/45 random) 50.5 90.0 Garlic (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
jux Hit Harm (+5..12) 60.5 95.0 Bat Wing (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
kal Hit Fireball (+5..12) 60.5 95.0 Sulfurous Ash (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
lor Night Sight (+1) 50.5 90.0 Spiders Silk (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
lum Lower Stat Req (+5..25) 60.5 90.0 Ginseng (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing
malas Hit Poison Area (+5..12) 70.5 100.0 Nox Crystal (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
mani Hit Point Increase (+1..7) 85.5 120.0 Ginseng (7) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
mu Hit Point Regen (+1..3 weapon, else +1..2) 80.5 115.0 Ginseng (7) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
nox Poison Resist Bonus (+3..9) 70.5 100.0 Nox Crystal (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Jewelry
om Mana Regen (+1..3 weapon, else +1..2) 75.5 115.0 Grave Dust (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
ort Mana Increase (+1..7) 80.5 120.0 Daemon Blood (7) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
pas Lower Mana Cost (+3..8) 75.5 115.0 Daemon Blood (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
por Dexterity Bonus (+1..7) 85.5 120.0 Bat Wing (7) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
quas Hit Mana Leech (+5..12) 80.5 120.0 Nightshade (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
ra Defense Chance Increase (+2..8) 70.5 100.0 Sulfurous Ash (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
rel Self Repair (+1..4) 65.5 95.0 Spiders Silk (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing
sanct Reflect Physical (+3..8) 70.5 105.0 Pig Iron (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
sar Weapon Damage (+1..7) 75.5 120.0 Bloodmoss (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
summ Faster Cast Recovery (+1..3) 70.5 105.0 Black Pearl (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
tym Swing Speed Increase (+5..12) 75.5 115.0 Bloodmoss (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
um Faster Casting (+1) 75.5 115.0 Mandrake Root (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
uus Hit Chance Increase (+3..9) 75.5 115.0 Bloodmoss (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
vas Strength Bonus (+1..7) 80.5 120.0 Mandrake Root (7) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
vel Velocity (+5..12) 80.5 120.0 Bloodmoss (7) 70.0 / 110.0 Ranged weapon only
wis Intelligence Bonus (+1..7) 80.5 120.0 Ginseng (5) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
xen Hit Lightning (+5..12) 60.5 100.0 Garlic (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon only
ylem Lower Reagent Cost (+3..10) 85.5 120.0 Daemon Blood (7) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry
zu Enhance Potions (+5..12) 50.0 80.5 Black Pearl (3) 70.0 / 110.0 Weapon, Armor, Shield, Clothing, Quiver, Spellbook, Jewelry

Several recipes used to report the wrong missing material. The reagents themselves never changed - only the error messages were wrong - and all now read correctly:

  • cah, dium, in and xen said a blank rune was needed when you were actually short on Garlic.
  • vel complained about Mandrake Root instead of Bloodmoss.
  • wis complained about Bloodmoss instead of Ginseng.
  • hur (Resist Energy) now correctly lists Black Pearl as its reagent.
  • The five resistance runes now read Resist Bonus: Energy (hur), Resist Bonus: Fire (flam), Resist Bonus: Cold (del), Resist Bonus: Poison (nox) and Resist Bonus: Physical (dium) when hovered, which fixes a garbled number some clients showed on that line. The runes themselves work exactly as before.
  • char now reads Hit Lower Defense, and ra now reads Defense Chance Increase.

Double-click a crafted rune in your backpack, then target the item you want to enhance. The rune and target item must both be in your pack (or on the ground within range 1); the target cannot be currently equipped. The system checks Inscription, rolls the break formula below, and on success applies the property and consumes the rune. On failure the targeted item is destroyed along with the rune.

Every rune requires 70.0 base Inscription on double-click. Below that, the rune reports “You are not skilled enough to attempt this enhancement.”

A skill check is then rolled between 70.0 and 110.0 Inscription. On failure the rune shatters and is consumed with the message “The rune shatters, releasing the magic energy.” The targeted item is not affected by this stage, and only the single rune used is lost - not the rest of the stack.

Once the skill check passes and a target is selected, the application roll works as follows:

  1. Roll a base destroy chance in [0.0, 1.0).
  2. If your Inscription is 105.0 or higher, add Inscription * 0.001 (e.g. 120 Inscription adds 0.120).
  3. If the Better Rune Crafting perk is active, add 0.1.
  4. Success requires the destroy chance to be greater than 0.40 AND a second independent roll greater than 0.02 (a flat 2% catastrophic floor that breaks the item regardless of skill).
  5. If the Next Rune Crafting Application Won't Break Item perk flag is set, success is forced and the flag is consumed. The game reports: “Your perk gives your gear total protection during application, and expires.”

On success: the property is added to the item, a success sound plays, and the rune is consumed.
On failure: the targeted item is destroyed, the rune is consumed, and a failure sound plays.

Each rune checks targets in order: weapon (or ranged weapon for bala and vel), then optionally armor, shield, clothing, quiver, spellbook, or jewelry, according to the “Valid Targets” column above. A target that doesn't match any allowed type yields “You cannot enhance that.” and the rune is not consumed.

The Bag of Runes is a blessed container holding one of each rune type (excluding bala and vel). It is a staff/admin convenience item, not a standard player drop.

The Blank Rune step was removed, enhancement runes were made stackable and given their 1 stone weight, and the new rune artwork and colour coding were introduced in the 09/08/2026 update. See Shard Updates for the full entry.