Runebound

What it is

Runebound are monsters that carry their own Cord. They cast a real spell, built from the same runes and circles as yours. They are the first magic you meet in the world, and an early source of runes.

How to get it

These monsters can be Runebound:

• Zombies of all kinds: husks, drowned and zombie villagers too
• Skeletons of all kinds: strays, bogged and wither skeletons too
• Witches
• Pillagers and vindicators
• every one of the monsters of the wilds, each with spells that suit it

Each monster gets one roll the first time it appears:

• Out in the world: about 2%. The chance rises with local difficulty.
• Inside an Archive or a dungeon: 35%.
• Never on Peaceful, and never on a monster with a name tag.
• One in six Runebound is an Adept.

Servers can change these chances. If a Runebound turns into another mob that can carry a Cord, it stays Runebound. A drowned zombie is one example.

How to use it

Read it before you fight

• The nameplate is its spell. It shows rune icons and the spell name, in the element’s colour. An Adept’s name starts with Adept ·.
• Rune marks glow on its body in the spell’s colour. Adepts glow brighter.
• The warning. Before every cast, it stops and faces its target. It holds open its spell’s magic circle for 1.1 seconds.
  • Its nameplate turns white, like » Frost Bolt «.
  • Zone, Rain, Mine and Domain spells also mark the ground where they will land.

Their spells

Each monster picks one spell from its list. Adepts get a stronger version: Split (three copies) if the shape allows, otherwise Amplify.

Monster	Spells
Skeletons	Frost Bolt, Shock Bolt, Fire Arc, Arcane Beam, Venom Bolt
Witches	Venom Zone, Chill Mine, Arcane Orb, Shock Rain, Blind Bolt
Pillagers, vindicators	Arcane Crescent, Arcane Blitz, Fire Cone, Arcane Barrage, Fire Bolt
Zombies	Gale-Arcane Burst, Venom Touch, Frost Wave, Shock Ring, Swift & Empower

A zombie with Swift & Empower casts it on itself, then charges.

How they cast

• It casts only at the target it is hunting, and only when it can see it.

• It waits until you are in range:

  Shape	Range
  Touch	3.5 blocks
  Burst, Ring, Barrage	5
  Cone	6
  Blitz	8
  Self, Wave	12
  Crescent	16
  Zone, Rain, Mine	18
  Bolt, Arc, Beam, Orb	22

• Its first cast comes 2 to 4 seconds after it appears. After that it casts every 3.5 to 6 seconds.
• Spell power is 60% on Easy, 80% on Normal and 100% on Hard. Adepts get 15% more.
• It hits players, pets, golems and its target. It never hits other monsters. It never changes blocks.

Adepts and drops

Drops only count when you land the killing blow, whether by hit, arrow or spell.

	Runebound	Adept
Extra health	+60%	+120%
Rune from its Cord	35%	60%
Torn Page (Secret Spells)	6%	20%
Rune of the world: Vinelash, Undertow, Blazecall, Portalfall or Warcry	never	8%
Extra experience	10	20

Progress

• Your first kill earns the Runebreaker feat and advancement. Killing an Adept earns Adept’s End.
• Heart Circles count your Runebound kills: the 6th needs 8, the 12th needs 20, the 16th needs 40 and the 20th needs 100.
• The Runesmith sometimes posts Runebound contracts.

Where you meet them

• anywhere their monster types spawn
• inside the Archive and dungeons
• as helpers that bosses call up
• guarding fallen stars and in rift sieges (see World Events)

Tips and counterplay

• They resist their own element. Your spells of that element do half damage to them. Pick another element.
  • Most Runebound are undead, so Life magic hits them harder. See Creature Affinities.
• Break line of sight while the nameplate is lit. If you are out of sight when the warning ends, the cast fails.
• Raise a Shield. Raise it right at the end and you throw the spell back.
• Hunt Adepts. They give the best loot in the open world.