A Table-Top Role-Playing Game

by
Calum Morton
Created for the Dice Jam Winter 2020/2021
The Rules
This system is designed to be relatively light on
setting, and the only core concepts necessary to
play the game are the Runesong, the Runes of
Power, the Notes of Channeling, and the
existence of Runesingers. You should choose a
setting which best fits your desired themes.
To play this game you will need a way to track
your character stats, several twelve-sided dice,
also known as d12s, preferably in two distinct
colours, and your imagination. Additionally, you
will need at least two players; someone to take
on the role of the Game Master, or GM, who is
the arbiter of the rules by which the game is
played, and someone to play a character.
The Runesong
There are five great Runes of Power which
make up the Runesong of the world, an ancient
and all-encompassing magic which has shaped
the world since creation. These five runes are
mastered by Runesingers, powerful magicians
who learn to sing with the Runesong and bend
the tune to their will by use of Notes of
Channeling.
In Runesinger players control a character who
has learned to control the Runesong, a so-called
Runesinger, who weaves the Notes of
Channeling around the Runesong to achieve
great and powerful effects.
There are five great Runes of Power; Davas,
the rune of strength, earth, metal, and that which
withstands, Seles, the rune of speed, water, air,
and that which flows,
Igris, the rune of spirit, fire, force, and that
which destroys, Ordos, the rune of mind,
energy, imagination, and that which creates, and
Undus, the rune of empathy, connection, truth,
and that which binds.
These runes are part of the elemental and
fundamental forces of the creation of the world.
Each rune holds within it facets of the power of
the Runesong, humming and alive with energies
ready to be manipulated and channeled by a
Runesinger. To contain and control these forces,
Runesingers use the magical Notes of
Channeling, arcane intonations which corral and
modulate the Runesong.
Creating a Runesinger
In order to create a Runesinger, i.e. a player
character, there are some simple steps to go
through. The five runes each represent an
element of what makes a person whole, and for
the purposes of the game are used to determine
the measure of a character’s physical and
mental attributes.
Take twelve points and distribute them among
the five runes on the character sheet, with only
one being allowed a value above 3, representing
the rune with which the character is most
attuned, and one rune at a value of only 1,
representing the rune with which the character is
least attuned.
These values can be raised later as a character
gains experience using the Runesong, and use
of the character’s least attuned rune should be
rewarded with bonus experience where
appropriate, regardless of the successes or
failures using said rune.
Having assigned these values the player should
now turn to the Notes of Channeling, the other
half of the power of a Runesinger. There are
multiple notes of channeling, and it is not
expected for a Runesinger to have mastery, or
even necessarily ability with all of them.
The Notes of Channeling are as follows:
Absorption, to take something external and
make it part oneself,
Conjuration, to bring forth an object, creature,
or person from elsewhere,
Destruction, to tear apart and bring ruination to
a creature, person, or object,
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Generation, to create a perceptible or physical
effect or object,
Locomotion, to impart movement to an object,
creature, or person,
Manipulation, to alter and change the
properties of an object, creature, or person,
Misdirection, to deceive or obfuscate the
perception of a person, object, or creature,
Projection, to send something out from oneself,
potentially forcefully,
Reconstruction, to heal, or repair, a person,
creature, or object,
Recognition, to understand the properties of an
object, creature, place, or person,
Redirection, to turn something aside and away
from oneself,
Reflection, to return something from whence it
came,
Teleportation, to instantaneously move an
object, creature, person, or place over small or
vast distances
These Notes of Channeling are rated similarly to
the five runes which represent a character’s
attributes. In this regard, take fifteen points and
allocate them across the various Notes,
however, bear in mind that no Note can be rated
above 3 during character generation. Again,
these values can be raised as the character
gains experience during gameplay which should
be awarded at the discretion of the GM.
Singing the Runesong
When a player character wishes to attempt
something that would be best accomplished by
using the power of the Runesong, the player
describes the desired effect and which Rune
and Note combination they wish to use to
achieve it. The use of the Runesong could be
anything from locating a source of food or water,
sending out a powerful attack against an enemy,
defending oneself from an incoming attack,
taking flight, creating a bridge over a chasm, or
divining the nature of a device.
The Runes of Power have various domains, as
seen in their description, which suggest their
typical uses. The typical uses of the Notes of
Channeling are defined in their descriptions.
With that being said, the system is designed to
be open, and allow similar effects to be achieved
through several means. However, the final
decision on which Rune and Note combination is
used is up to the discretion of the GM.
Once the two have been selected, note the
values which the character has assigned to the
Rune and the Note chosen, these values now
form a Song pool which the player rolls to see if
they accomplish the task. Roll a number of d12
equal to the value of the Song pool and keep the
results from a number of dice up to the value of
the Note pool, this is known as the Keep pool.
To simplify this, the formula for making a roll
when Singing the Runesong is to roll X and keep
Y, where X is the value of the Song pool and Y
is the value of the Keep pool.
Some actions do not require the use of the
powers of the Runesong. In these cases instead
simply roll using the Rune pool of the most
appropriate Rune to the action; Davas for feats
of strength, Seles for feats of speed or agility,
Igris for feats of the spirit, Ordos for feats of the
mind, and Undus for feats of empathy. The
player should roll their Rune pool and keep the
entire pool of dice as the results, this is known
as a Rune Roll, where the Keep pool is the
same as the Rune pool.
Having now rolled and selected which results to
keep, compare the total value of the results in
the Keep Pool to the Target Value.
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Target Value Threat Level
The Target Value needed to succeed on a roll is There are many hostile creatures which a
dependent on several factors, the range at Runesinger may encounter. These are
which a Runesong ability is being used, the categorised by their Threat Level and this sets
Threat Level of the target, wounds suffered by the Target Value for rolls made against them.
the character, or any other conditional modifiers
which may be applied by the GM.
Threat Level Target Value
The tables below show the various Target
Values for rolls, as well as several types of 1 - Harmless 1
modifiers which may apply to a task. The GM
2 - Low 7
should decide on the difficulty of the action being
attempted by the player, and then consult the 3 - Moderate 14
table and add modifiers as necessary.
4 - Considerable 21
Difficulty Target Value 5 - Serious 28
Simple 1 6 - Deadly 35
Routine 7 7 - Hyper-Lethal 36+
Moderate 14
Additional modifiers may be applied based on
Formidable 21 varied conditions as the GM sees fit, and also
can be applied as a result of being wounded.
Extreme 28

Indomitable 35 Modifiers due to range are always considered to

be a positive modifier to the Target Value of the
Godlike 36+ roll, except for when that roll is part of the
Defend action, in which case they become a
negative modifier; the Defend action is
Range Modifier described below among the Combat Actions.

Self 1 Discord, Volume, and Harmony

Touch (≤5ft.) 2 When a Runesinger Sings the Runesong, there
can sometimes be unexpected beneficial or
Close (>5ft.<10ft.) 4 detrimental results. This is the result of
unusually good or bad rolls.
Short (10ft.-120ft.) 6

Far (120ft.-1200ft.) 8 For each roll of a natural one in the Song pool,
subtract one from the total of the Keep pool, as
Extreme (>1200ft.) 10 the magic of the Runesong becomes discordant.
For each roll of a natural twelve in the Song
Pool, add one to the total of the Keep Pool, as
the Runesong increases in volume. If all of the
dice in the Keep pool show the same result,
double the total value of the Keep pool, as the
Runesinger achieves harmony in their song.

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Combat
The world is a dangerous place, even for those
who sing the Runesong, and as such they must
know how to utilise their powers to fight.
Additionally, the GM must know how to model
the enemies and effects which seek to harm the
player characters.
To fight a combat you must determine who acts,
and in what order. This is known as Combat
Initiative, which is used to determine who acts
when during Combat Rounds. During combat,
the combatants take turns to make various
Combat Actions.
Combat Initiative
To determine who acts and when during
combat, when combat begins all combatants
should roll either their Seles or Ordos Rune
pools. As this is a Rune roll only, the entire pool
may be kept. This value represents the Combat
Initiative for that combatant for the duration of
the Combat Round. At the end of a Combat
Round combatants should make a new Combat
Initiative roll.
For combatants with a Threat Level, instead use
the Target Value of their Threat Level as their
Combat Initiative value.
Combat Rounds
Combat Rounds begin after each Combat
Initiative roll. Combatants take various Combat
Actions in turn, in descending order, from the
highest Combat Initiative to the lowest.
Combat Actions
During a Combat Round combatants may take a
variety of actions, known as Combat Actions.
The Combat Actions available to combatants
are; Move, Sing the Runesong, Attack, Defend,
Interact, Speak, and Other. A combatant may
take a combination of up to two actions on their
turn, and also take the Speak action for free.
Move - A creature or person which is capable of
moving of its own volition may use one action to
move up to its Speed in feet each Combat
Round. It can choose to forgo taking any other
actions in order to take a second Move action,
which is known as rushing.
The basic rate at which a person, creature or
Runesinger moves while unaided by the magic
of the Runesong is equal to ten times its Seles
Rune value in feet every six seconds, the length
of one Combat Round.
Interact - Sometimes a creature, person, or
Runesinger will desire to interact with an object
during their turn, this will usually not require a
roll, but does take up one action for their turn.
Speak - This action allows a combatant to speak
a short phrase, possibly a warning to allies, or
challenge to their enemies. This action may be
performed only once during a combatant’s turn,
and does not use up one of the two actions
available to the combatant for their turn.
Other - This action is used when a combatant
wishes to do something which is not covered by
any of the other Combat Actions listed above.
Examples of Other actions include hiding via
non-magical means, jumping over a gap in the
floor, scrambling up a rickety ladder, or other
similar actions. These actions may require a
Rune roll at the discretion of the GM.
Sing the Runesong - Creatures capable of
utilising the Runesong may choose to use an
action on their turn in order to Sing the
Runesong. This allows them to use their
Runesong powers in any way they would
normally be able to, including to make an attack
exactly like the Attack action. If the Sing the
Runesong action is used to make an attack,
then the Attack action cannot separately be
taken to make an additional attack that turn, as
the Runesinger is focused on their magic.
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Attack - a creature or person may typically make the Runesinger suffers one wound, if they had
up to two attacks on their turn during each rolled only a 22 they would have suffered two
Combat Round, unless they are using the Sing wounds, and so on. The Target Value modifiers
the Runesong action. In order to take the Attack for Range are applied to rolls made as part of a
action the combatant declares a target for their Defend action, however in this case they are
attack, taking into account the Range to the subtracted from the Target Value, to account for
target, which will apply a positive modifier to the the opportunity greater range affords to see an
Target Value of the roll. The combatant then attack coming and prepare to receive it.
makes a roll, for which the base Target Value is
the Threat Level Target Value of the intended Suffering Wounds
target of the Attack action.
A Runesinger has a number of wounds equal to
their Davas and Igris Rune values added
If the combatant is making an Attack using the
together. Each time they are struck by an enemy
Sing the Runesong Combat Action then they
or harmed by an environmental effect, they
make a roll following the Roll Rune Keep Note
suffer one wound. For every wound suffered by
formula. Otherwise the combatant should only
a Runesinger, apply a +1 modifier to the Target
roll the appropriate Rune pool.
Value of all of their rolls until they are healed. If
a Runesinger has zero wounds remaining they
When a combatant with a Threat Level makes
are incapacitated, rendering them unconscious
an Attack action, the defender should make the
or even killing them, removing them from the
Defend action against the attacker’s Threat
current combat and requiring intervention to
Level Target Value. If the Attack succeeds, see
save their life.
the wounds section below to determine how
much damage is caused, if the Attack fails, then
Creatures with a Threat Level have a number of
no wounds are caused.
wounds equal to their Threat Level Target Value
divided by ten, apart from Harmless Threat
Defend - In order to avoid harm, a Runesinger
Level creatures, which have a single wound, and
must make the Defend action in order to prevent
are typically not expected to be combatants.
the attack from hitting them. The Defend action
Every time a creature with a Threat Level is
can be used an unlimited number of times
successfully attacked it will suffer wounds. If the
during a Combat Round. The defender makes a
Target Value is met, then a single wound is
Roll Rune Keep Note roll, as if they were
inflicted, however, an additional wound is
Singing the Runesong, and describes which
caused each time the Target Value is exceeded
Rune and Note they use to resist the attack. If
by two, rounding down.
they meet or exceed the Target Value of the
attack, it is negated, otherwise, a wound is
For example, an attacker rolls to Attack a
caused, and additional wounds are caused each
creature with a Threat Level Target Value of 12,
time the Target Value exceeds the total of the
at Touch range, which makes the Target Value
roll by two, rounding down.
for the Attack 14. The attacker rolls and their
total is 21, this attack will cause four wounds as
For example, a creature with a Threat Level of
it met the Target Value and then exceeded it by
five, serious, makes an attack against a
two 3 times. This is enough to incapacitate the
Runesinger who has suffered one wound. In
creature outright. Had the roll been a 22, five
order to successfully protect themselves from
wounds would have been caused, ostensibly
this attack the Runesinger must roll equal to or
wasting the fifth wound as the creature only has
higher than a 25. The Runesinger chooses to
four wounds which it can lose before becoming
Defend using Seles and Deflection to magically
incapacitated.
parry the attack with superhuman speed, but
only manages to roll a total of 24. In this case

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Equipment
Runesingers typically do not require much
equipment, though sometimes it may be useful,
and you may wish to also equip various other
entities and enemies with gear. To this end,
consider the use of equipment to confer a
positive modifier to the Target Value for items
such as armour, making the creature harder to
hit, or a negative modifier to the Target Value for
items which make a task easier; for example
climbing pitons and rope to help with ascending
a cliff-face, or a particularly keen-edged sword
which is more likely to inflict wounds.

Useful pieces of equipment may be included in

the Items of Interest portion of the Character
Sheet below.

Other Character Details

There is more to Runesingers than their mastery
of the Runes and Notes, however they have no
mechanical effect on the game. Depending on
your setting they may have social or role-playing
effects, and as such room has been made for
additional details on the character sheet found
on the next page.

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name Notes of Channeling Value

Physical Description
Absorption

Conjuration

Destruction

Generation

Locomotion
Speed

Wounds Manipulation

Misdirection
The Runes of Power Value Projection
Davas
Reconstruction
Seles
Recognition
Igris
Redirection
Ordos
Reflection
Undus
Teleportation
Items of Interest