Twisted Runes
What it is
Now and then a dungeon chest holds a twisted rune: an effect rune with a flaw or a corruption cut into it. Learning it twists that rune everywhere it’s threaded, in every spell you’ve woven with it.
- A flawed rune is weaker, but it makes its spell cheaper to cast.
- A corrupted rune is stronger, at a price.
How to get it
Twisted runes turn up in dungeons, mineshafts, stronghold corridors, ancient cities, bastions, woodland mansions, desert pyramids and jungle temples, about one chest in eight. Half are flawed. The rest carry one of the four corruptions, evenly. The rune loot setting in the config scales the chance.
They are always effect runes of Tier I to III, never an innate rune.
How to use it
- Use a twisted rune to learn it. If you didn’t know the rune yet, you learn it too. If it already carries a different twist, the new one replaces it.
- Sneak-use a plain copy of the same rune to smooth a twist out. The copy is consumed and the rune is whole again.
The twists
| Twist | Power | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Flawed | -20% | None. Each flawed rune in a spell takes 15% off its mana cost, down to half price |
| Searing | +30% | Whoever it helps catches fire for three seconds, so a searing heal burns as it mends |
| Bloodletting | +35% | Each cast it’s part of costs you a heart of health |
| Volatile | +50% | 15% of the time it fizzles where it lands and does nothing |
| Hungering | +30% | Each cast it’s part of leaves you hungrier |
The power change applies wherever the rune lands: damage, heals, shields and pushes alike. Bloodletting and hungering take their toll once per cast, however many targets the spell hits.
Tips
- Flawed runes suit spells you cast often, where the mana saved adds up.
- Volatile is best on runes that hit many targets, since each landing rolls on its own.
- Searing works well on harmful spells that also catch you. On a heal, keep a Fire Resistance potion handy.