Unmaking a Rune Weapon

[SolCannibal]

Ok, considering that according to book, to breathe life into rune weapons supernatural beings of all kinds are the typical beings used, Dragons and mortal practitioners of magic who have attained great mastery over magic (high levels of experience; 10th or greater) being suitable for lesser rune weapons, while for the creation of most powerful rune weapons greater supernatural beings like gods, godlings, ancient dragons, spirits of light, greater elementals, greater demons and demon lords are needed, has anyone tried to liberate such a being from its imprisonment in a dimensional vortex within the enchanted object/weapon?

I wll be the first to admit that not every adventurer that saw or used a Rune Weapon will automatically know the real reason why rune weapons are intelligent beings in the first place but some most certainly would, specially if they developed a rapport with their weapon. Could not such a character stop to consider the possibility of such a thing, be either for moral reasons (specially in the case of holy weapons in relation to forces of the Light) or more pratical/mercenary ones (Rune weapons are cool and all but overall their benefits look like chump change compared to the favor of these entities free and back in the Megaverse).

So, has anyone touched or considered toying with this kind of subject in their games? How do you imagine could it be done?

Also, would an alien intelligence being turned into a rune weapon affect the powers of its witches or priests? While becoming a weapon might be unusual, imprisonment in a dimensional vortex is kind of par for the course when it comes to containing such entities.

[Hotrod]

As far as I know, only the Cauldron of Destruction can destroy a rune weapon, which would presumably release the soul therein (and possibly any that have been drunk). See Rifts: England. It takes a Scathach of 10th level or higher to create such a cauldron.

Although it is canon that powerful rune weapons generally require some powerful being or other, I'm not so sure about a god or alien intelligence. The fractal nature of such beings would make that kind of an undertaking implausible given the number of powerful rune weapons out there. The only rune weapon I could see as having something on that order of power instilled was an Old One creation found in the Northern Wilderness adventures of Palladium Fantasy (the pirate treasure cave).

[Nightmask]

As far as I know, only the Cauldron of Destruction can destroy a rune weapon, which would presumably release the soul therein (and possibly any that have been drunk). See Rifts: England. It takes a Scathach of 10th level or higher to create such a cauldron.

Although it is canon that powerful rune weapons generally require some powerful being or other, I'm not so sure about a god or alien intelligence. The fractal nature of such beings would make that kind of an undertaking implausible given the number of powerful rune weapons out there. The only rune weapon I could see as having something on that order of power instilled was an Old One creation found in the Northern Wilderness adventures of Palladium Fantasy (the pirate treasure cave).

The Tarnov Stone (source of the Philospher's Stone myth in the Palladium setting) is a rune object that contains a powerful alien intelligence (stated to be 20% stronger than the 'average' alien intelligence), has a variety of powers including turning pure metals into MDC metals and as a rarity is NOT indestructible (just so some idiot can destroy it to 'end' its evil only to release the intelligence so it can devastate the planet0.

[Glistam]

In our game, the G.M. was gave each rune weapon a very unique personality. We encountered a magical prison for rune items which was constructed/enchanted in such a way that the spirits of the weapons were able to manifest inside the confines of the prison. Some of the P.C.'s developed quite a rapport with their rune weapons, and we discussed both in character and out of character a few times some ways to accomplish this. So far, the only "true" method come up with was the Cauldron of Destruction, but that would only set the spirit free, not give it new life.

It's a high power campaign though, and the G.M. has slowly introduced various rune smiths who our group has managed to develop a relationship with (thus far, a Cyclops and a Norse Dwarf). There's a third rune-smith, and some abandoned rune-forges rumored to be out there for us to find, and once/if we do find them that will open up a new world of possibilities. I think any being capable of making rune items can also destroy them, given the proper tools and time. But that is always left vague.

Because of the nature of our rune items, I feel like we have some options for giving them a sort-of reprieve from their eternal imprisonment. But I don't think those ideas will help you much in a standard campaign. Our rune items have some pretty unique abilities.

[Shark_Force]

minor side note: iirc holy weapons are different from rune weapons, and don't have any specific mention of requiring the sacrifice of a living being.

in any event, destroying a rune weapon would at best free the bound creature's spirit/soul/whatever, but would not return them to life. however, it is theoretically possible that you could find a way to restore them to life after they've been freed...though i'm not aware of anything capable of doing so without access to the body (and no mention is made of what happens to the body of the entrapped being that i am aware of). hypothetically though, i could imagine a TW device created with the help of an earth and air warlock that would immediately transfer the freed soul into a created body. and i'm sure it's possible that someone could devise a completely different way of doing it too. alternately, some creatures have a natural energy form, and as such may still have their "bodies" available when freed (and may or may not even need anything more than the rune weapon being destroyed... iirc, elementals are supposed to have an energy form in addition to their physical form, so may fall into this category).

as to the benefits of freeing the captured being... that depends. for evil and even some selfish creatures, i doubt there's much benefit to be gained. particularly since beings that are supernatural in nature and evil in alignment have a strong tendency to be compulsively evil, (on the other hand, an evil powerful magic user might be at least somewhat grateful, just don't push it). anarchist supernatural beings... well, we don't have a ton of examples, but they tend to either not be intelligent (or rather, animal intelligence) or differently intelligent (such as elementals). elementals will most likely not even acknowledge their rescuers unless one is a warlock, and may or may not be so angry at being trapped for so long as to be berserk. best-case scenario (again, assuming no warlock) is probably that they'll just go home without hurting you. warlocks are likely to be treated better, and may even be rewarded in some way (GM's discretion as to how). perhaps letting them know an extra spell (or even a spell from a different element than usual, if the elemental they freed is not from their own element).

honestly, for most evil or anarchist creatures, i'd say you're probably better off being happy with the comparatively small amount of power gained by keeping them in the weapon, rather than trusting them to actually reward you instead of trying to screw you over should you get them out of the rune weapon.

powerful beings of good (or even unscrupulous) alignment, on the other hand, are far more likely to be helpful and grateful, and i could certainly see some potential benefit in freeing them. obviously, benefits may differ; a mage may be able to teach you some high level spells or create some simple magical items on your behalf, for example. still, i find it doubtful their one-time contribution will consistently outweigh what they could have granted in weapon form to you personally (their benefit to the megaverse at large is more likely to be greater, though), and it's possible the favour would get repaid with interest.

also, some rare few may have been voluntary (remember that there was a long war on the palladium world between two rival nations that had access to rune magic, and there were probably some powerful individuals who were about to die of old age anyways that decided to do what they could to help as a rune weapon), so it's best to make sure the being you're freeing wants to be free you're unlikely to get much gratitude from an elf or dwarf on their deathbed

[Zer0 Kay]

1st ed PFRPG gives methods of destruction. It is given in the form of a list of possibilities that pc's would know in game. Kind of legends that may or may not be true. Iirc volcano was one of them, of course the cloud at the edge of the world was one.

[Svartalf]

1st ed PFRPG gives methods of destruction. It is given in the form of a list of possibilities that pc's would know in game. Kind of legends that may or may not be true. Iirc volcano was one of them, of course the cloud at the edge of the world was one.

Properly speaking, those are more means of disposal than proper destruction... the item might surface up later/elsewhere.

[Zer0 Kay]

1st ed PFRPG gives methods of destruction. It is given in the form of a list of possibilities that pc's would know in game. Kind of legends that may or may not be true. Iirc volcano was one of them, of course the cloud at the edge of the world was one.

Properly speaking, those are more means of disposal than proper destruction... the item might surface up later/elsewhere.

Hmm, no I think the list was for destruction, not keeping people from getting the weapon. Volcano, for disposing of weapon pfft what is this, Krull?

[Svartalf]

Don't remember, I'm not unearthing my 1st ed PFRPG book without knowing exactly where to look... 2nd Ed just says indestructible, and that may only be trumped by means specifying the destruction of rune items, like the druidic cauldron of destruction.

[Zer0 Kay]

Don't remember, I'm not unearthing my 1st ed PFRPG book without knowing exactly where to look... 2nd Ed just says indestructible, and that may only be trumped by means specifying the destruction of rune items, like the druidic cauldron of destruction.

Are you saying it'd be Unearthed Arcana?

[Svartalf]

Looking up stuff in a book I've not taken down from its storage place in nearly two decades (basicly since 2nd ed came up) would certainly qualify... and I've opened my old, first edition D&D UA more recently than that...

[SolCannibal]

minor side note: iirc holy weapons are different from rune weapons, and don't have any specific mention of requiring the sacrifice of a living being.

minor side note: at least one specific mention relating both.

Holy Weapons — A unique greater rune weapon specifically designed for the forces of light. A holy weapon is typically a rune weapon created by or for the forces of good to combat supernatural evil! Most of these weapons were created using magic arts lost eons ago. Many have been created by godlings and powerful supernatural beings of good. Thoth is believed to have gone through a period of time, thousands of years ago, when he created and distributed holy weapons.

Writers' words, not mine, i just ran along with their own definition.

in any event, destroying a rune weapon would at best free the bound creature's spirit/soul/whatever, but would not return them to life.

Actually...

Rune magic steals a creature's life essence and soul, sometimes the physical body as well, and imprisons it in a dimensional vortex within the enchanted object/weapon. The life force empowers the object like a living battery. Ironically, it is that very life force which makes the item indestructible and provides it with much of its power. Within this dimensional prison the life force requires no means of nourishment or water. Thankfully, time is greatly distorted. A thousand years may seem like only a few days.

Going by the text, while the body might not always go along, it's not just the soul that empowers a rune weapon, something reinforced by the idea the life force might require some means of nourishment outside its time distorted imprisonment, as hunger & thirst are not usual traits of souls in the game.

however, it is theoretically possible that you could find a way to restore them to life after they've been freed...though i'm not aware of anything capable of doing so without access to the body (and no mention is made of what happens to the body of the entrapped being that i am aware of). hypothetically though, i could imagine a TW device created with the help of an earth and air warlock that would immediately transfer the freed soul into a created body. and i'm sure it's possible that someone could devise a completely different way of doing it too. alternately, some creatures have a natural energy form, and as such may still have their "bodies" available when freed (and may or may not even need anything more than the rune weapon being destroyed... iirc, elementals are supposed to have an energy form in addition to their physical form, so may fall into this category).

Yes, recovering a creature's lost body might be a problem, or undoing the weapon itself might throw a creature's life essence back into it - what might still be a complication, depending on the being and where & how this actual body is imprisoned/warded and result in even more misadventures for whoever is trying to pull such such a stunt, not to mention the possibility of warning whoever made a rune weapon that something is going on (moot point in some cases possibly, but pretty relevant in others).

as to the benefits of freeing the captured being... that depends. for evil and even some selfish creatures, i doubt there's much benefit to be gained. particularly since beings that are supernatural in nature and evil in alignment have a strong tendency to be compulsively evil, (on the other hand, an evil powerful magic user might be at least somewhat grateful, just don't push it). anarchist supernatural beings... well, we don't have a ton of examples, but they tend to either not be intelligent (or rather, animal intelligence) or differently intelligent (such as elementals). elementals will most likely not even acknowledge their rescuers unless one is a warlock, and may or may not be so angry at being trapped for so long as to be berserk. best-case scenario (again, assuming no warlock) is probably that they'll just go home without hurting you. warlocks are likely to be treated better, and may even be rewarded in some way (GM's discretion as to how). perhaps letting them know an extra spell (or even a spell from a different element than usual, if the elemental they freed is not from their own element).

honestly, for most evil or anarchist creatures, i'd say you're probably better off being happy with the comparatively small amount of power gained by keeping them in the weapon, rather than trusting them to actually reward you instead of trying to screw you over should you get them out of the rune weapon.

Well, i would guess that even in the case of self-serving entities it depends. Compulsively evil doesn't have to mean stupid or wasteful - you just left your weaponized prison and depending on case, might be in need of some serious updating, so even without speaking of gratefulness and paying one's dues this little band of ersatz liberators could make pretty useful contacts, minions or pawns to say the least, what can be quite relevant as some of these beings might have lost most or all of these during its time-dilated "rest". Even for beings who weren't captured for ages the fact they managed to free it (where one's minions, if any, either failed or not even tried) does make a point for their competence and potential usefulness in the future.

powerful beings of good (or even unscrupulous) alignment, on the other hand, are far more likely to be helpful and grateful, and i could certainly see some potential benefit in freeing them. obviously, benefits may differ; a mage may be able to teach you some high level spells or create some simple magical items on your behalf, for example. still, i find it doubtful their one-time contribution will consistently outweigh what they could have granted in weapon form to you personally (their benefit to the megaverse at large is more likely to be greater, though), and it's possible the favour would get repaid with interest.

And i'm considering a bit of both - immediate repayment of favor while convenient pales in comparison to their potential value as contacts, allies or patrons in the long run, not to mention their potential effect in future events according to their respective power.

As an aside, Atlantis implies that even the simplest rune weapons have an average to high I.Q., it's the first trait described in fact.

also, some rare few may have been voluntary (remember that there was a long war on the palladium world between two rival nations that had access to rune magic, and there were probably some powerful individuals who were about to die of old age anyways that decided to do what they could to help as a rune weapon), so it's best to make sure the being you're freeing wants to be free you're unlikely to get much gratitude from an elf or dwarf on their deathbed

Yes, there's that certainly - trying to get an idea of who you're trying to liberate and if they want to be free beforehand is most reccomended if your motives to do so go beyond moral indignation at the concept of rune weapons on itself. That said, finally giving a long forgotten elf or dwarf champion its long due freedom could be a reward on itself "War is long over hero, you served far beyond required. Your dutiful work shall be remembered. You may rest now."

1st ed PFRPG gives methods of destruction. It is given in the form of a list of possibilities that pc's would know in game. Kind of legends that may or may not be true. Iirc volcano was one of them, of course the cloud at the edge of the world was one.

Properly speaking, those are more means of disposal than proper destruction... the item might surface up later/elsewhere.

Hmm, no I think the list was for destruction, not keeping people from getting the weapon. Volcano, for disposing of weapon pfft what is this, Krull?

The One Ring maybe?

[Zer0 Kay]

minor side note: iirc holy weapons are different from rune weapons, and don't have any specific mention of requiring the sacrifice of a living being.

minor side note: at least one specific mention relating both.

Holy Weapons — A unique greater rune weapon specifically designed for the forces of light. A holy weapon is typically a rune weapon created by or for the forces of good to combat supernatural evil! Most of these weapons were created using magic arts lost eons ago. Many have been created by godlings and powerful supernatural beings of good. Thoth is believed to have gone through a period of time, thousands of years ago, when he created and distributed holy weapons.

Writers' words, not mine, i just ran along with their own definition.

in any event, destroying a rune weapon would at best free the bound creature's spirit/soul/whatever, but would not return them to life.

Actually...

Rune magic steals a creature's life essence and soul, sometimes the physical body as well, and imprisons it in a dimensional vortex within the enchanted object/weapon. The life force empowers the object like a living battery. Ironically, it is that very life force which makes the item indestructible and provides it with much of its power. Within this dimensional prison the life force requires no means of nourishment or water. Thankfully, time is greatly distorted. A thousand years may seem like only a few days.

Going by the text, while the body might not always go along, it's not just the soul that empowers a rune weapon, something reinforced by the idea the life force might require some means of nourishment outside its time distorted imprisonment, as hunger & thirst are not usual traits of souls in the game.

however, it is theoretically possible that you could find a way to restore them to life after they've been freed...though i'm not aware of anything capable of doing so without access to the body (and no mention is made of what happens to the body of the entrapped being that i am aware of). hypothetically though, i could imagine a TW device created with the help of an earth and air warlock that would immediately transfer the freed soul into a created body. and i'm sure it's possible that someone could devise a completely different way of doing it too. alternately, some creatures have a natural energy form, and as such may still have their "bodies" available when freed (and may or may not even need anything more than the rune weapon being destroyed... iirc, elementals are supposed to have an energy form in addition to their physical form, so may fall into this category).

Yes, recovering a creature's lost body might be a problem, or undoing the weapon itself might throw a creature's life essence back into it - what might still be a complication, depending on the being and where & how this actual body is imprisoned/warded and result in even more misadventures for whoever is trying to pull such such a stunt, not to mention the possibility of warning whoever made a rune weapon that something is going on (moot point in some cases possibly, but pretty relevant in others).

as to the benefits of freeing the captured being... that depends. for evil and even some selfish creatures, i doubt there's much benefit to be gained. particularly since beings that are supernatural in nature and evil in alignment have a strong tendency to be compulsively evil, (on the other hand, an evil powerful magic user might be at least somewhat grateful, just don't push it). anarchist supernatural beings... well, we don't have a ton of examples, but they tend to either not be intelligent (or rather, animal intelligence) or differently intelligent (such as elementals). elementals will most likely not even acknowledge their rescuers unless one is a warlock, and may or may not be so angry at being trapped for so long as to be berserk. best-case scenario (again, assuming no warlock) is probably that they'll just go home without hurting you. warlocks are likely to be treated better, and may even be rewarded in some way (GM's discretion as to how). perhaps letting them know an extra spell (or even a spell from a different element than usual, if the elemental they freed is not from their own element).

honestly, for most evil or anarchist creatures, i'd say you're probably better off being happy with the comparatively small amount of power gained by keeping them in the weapon, rather than trusting them to actually reward you instead of trying to screw you over should you get them out of the rune weapon.

Well, i would guess that even in the case of self-serving entities it depends. Compulsively evil doesn't have to mean stupid or wasteful - you just left your weaponized prison and depending on case, might be in need of some serious updating, so even without speaking of gratefulness and paying one's dues this little band of ersatz liberators could make pretty useful contacts, minions or pawns to say the least, what can be quite relevant as some of these beings might have lost most or all of these during its time-dilated "rest". Even for beings who weren't captured for ages the fact they managed to free it (where one's minions, if any, either failed or not even tried) does make a point for their competence and potential usefulness in the future.

powerful beings of good (or even unscrupulous) alignment, on the other hand, are far more likely to be helpful and grateful, and i could certainly see some potential benefit in freeing them. obviously, benefits may differ; a mage may be able to teach you some high level spells or create some simple magical items on your behalf, for example. still, i find it doubtful their one-time contribution will consistently outweigh what they could have granted in weapon form to you personally (their benefit to the megaverse at large is more likely to be greater, though), and it's possible the favour would get repaid with interest.

And i'm considering a bit of both - immediate repayment of favor while convenient pales in comparison to their potential value as contacts, allies or patrons in the long run, not to mention their potential effect in future events according to their respective power.

As an aside, Atlantis implies that even the simplest rune weapons have an average to high I.Q., it's the first trait described in fact.

also, some rare few may have been voluntary (remember that there was a long war on the palladium world between two rival nations that had access to rune magic, and there were probably some powerful individuals who were about to die of old age anyways that decided to do what they could to help as a rune weapon), so it's best to make sure the being you're freeing wants to be free you're unlikely to get much gratitude from an elf or dwarf on their deathbed

Yes, there's that certainly - trying to get an idea of who you're trying to liberate and if they want to be free beforehand is most reccomended if your motives to do so go beyond moral indignation at the concept of rune weapons on itself. That said, finally giving a long forgotten elf or dwarf champion its long due freedom could be a reward on itself "War is long over hero, you served far beyond required. Your dutiful work shall be remembered. You may rest now."

1st ed PFRPG gives methods of destruction. It is given in the form of a list of possibilities that pc's would know in game. Kind of legends that may or may not be true. Iirc volcano was one of them, of course the cloud at the edge of the world was one.

Properly speaking, those are more means of disposal than proper destruction... the item might surface up later/elsewhere.

Hmm, no I think the list was for destruction, not keeping people from getting the weapon. Volcano, for disposing of weapon pfft what is this, Krull?

The One Ring maybe?

nope, cuz that is destruction and my comment was for disposal.

[SolCannibal]

1st ed PFRPG gives methods of destruction. It is given in the form of a list of possibilities that pc's would know in game. Kind of legends that may or may not be true. Iirc volcano was one of them, of course the cloud at the edge of the world was one.

Properly speaking, those are more means of disposal than proper destruction... the item might surface up later/elsewhere.

Hmm, no I think the list was for destruction, not keeping people from getting the weapon. Volcano, for disposing of weapon pfft what is this, Krull?

The One Ring maybe?

nope, cuz that is destruction and my comment was for disposal.

Well, considering the whole matter of destruction x disposal is still up in the air, still is a valid addition.

As an aside, something that has crossed my mind is that, when speaking of "gods" and "demon lords" and their use in the making of Rune Weapons, being early in Rifts development as Atlantis is, the writers most probably had in mind beings like Camazotz & the Lords of Xibalba or the demon lords as given in Conversion Book 1, entities in a scale closer to mature dragons & vampire intelligences than the "heavy hitter" gods we would get with Rifts: Africa, Pantheons and later books. That's what i have in mind at the moment at least.

[cornholioprime]

1st ed PFRPG gives methods of destruction. It is given in the form of a list of possibilities that pc's would know in game. Kind of legends that may or may not be true. Iirc volcano was one of them, of course the cloud at the edge of the world was one.

Properly speaking, those are more means of disposal than proper destruction... the item might surface up later/elsewhere.

Hmm, no I think the list was for destruction, not keeping people from getting the weapon. Volcano, for disposing of weapon pfft what is this, Krull?

The texts regarding Rune Weapons before the Scathach Cauldron only referred to means of placing these weapons beyond the reach of others for all time during the Inquisition following The Time Of A Thousand Magics (it's utterly amazing that no one ever sends Elementals to the bottom of Mount Nimro on a treasure hunt, BTW), not destroying them.


As far as 'saving' those souls, however....how about having a Soul Catcher (Rifts) or the Soulhunter (PFRPG) or that creature with the soul-snaring whips from Nightbane standing by to possibly catch the soul at the moment of Rune Weapon destruction??

[The Beast]

1st ed PFRPG gives methods of destruction. It is given in the form of a list of possibilities that pc's would know in game. Kind of legends that may or may not be true. Iirc volcano was one of them, of course the cloud at the edge of the world was one.

Properly speaking, those are more means of disposal than proper destruction... the item might surface up later/elsewhere.

Hmm, no I think the list was for destruction, not keeping people from getting the weapon. Volcano, for disposing of weapon pfft what is this, Krull?

The texts regarding Rune Weapons before the Scathach Cauldron only referred to means of placing these weapons beyond the reach of others for all time during the Inquisition following The Time Of A Thousand Magics (it's utterly amazing that no one ever sends Elementals to the bottom of Mount Nimro on a treasure hunt, BTW), not destroying them.


As far as 'saving' those souls, however....how about having a Soul Catcher (Rifts) or the Soulhunter (PFRPG) or that creature with the soul-snaring whips from Nightbane standing by to possibly catch the soul at the moment of Rune Weapon destruction??

IIRC, the volcano would explode if someone did that. Though some people wouldn't care...

[AzathothXy]

Just borrow Odin's spear.

[cornholioprime]

Just borrow Odin's spear.

Only kills 'lesser' Rune Weapons.

A hell of a power to have, but still doesn't destroy everything rune weapon-ish.

[Svartalf]

then again who'd want to destroy a Sword of Atlantis?

[SolCannibal]

then again who'd want to destroy a Sword of Atlantis?

Someone with a vested interest in contacting the deity or demon lord imprisoned inside it?

[Svartalf]

then again who'd want to destroy a Sword of Atlantis?

Someone with a vested interest in contacting the deity or demon lord imprisoned inside it?

That's a new side of the matter... how does one know exactly who or what is imprisoned in a particular item?

[Glistam]

then again who'd want to destroy a Sword of Atlantis?

Someone with a vested interest in contacting the deity or demon lord imprisoned inside it?

That's a new side of the matter... how does one know exactly who or what is imprisoned in a particular item?

You pick it up and ask nicely.

[Shark_Force]

it's even possible that you can just look at the aura and get a decently good idea.

also, for at least one case, a specific type of being is specified in the rune weapon. can't recall which weapon offhand, and too lazy to check (and it doesn't come up much, because greatest rune weapons aren't exactly common), but one of the really powerful types explicitly has a major elemental of some kind trapped in it.

[Zer0 Kay]

A time weapon can't be fully sentient otherwise the entity entrapped would be completely annoying.

[SolCannibal]

A time weapon can't be fully sentient otherwise the entity entrapped would be completely annoying.

Remember, there's the whole time dilation thing - the most probable possibility is that the intelligence of a rune weapon a character interacts with is something like the subconsciouness or ID of the imprisoned entity. A just made-up theory at least to explain why Rune Weapons are not far more talkative and active in trying to free themselves (not saying it's the only one, obviously).

[Zer0 Kay]

A time weapon can't be fully sentient otherwise the entity entrapped would be completely annoying.

Remember, there's the whole time dilation thing - the most probable possibility is that the intelligence of a rune weapon a character interacts with is something like the subconsciouness or ID of the imprisoned entity. A just made-up theory at least to explain why Rune Weapons are not far more talkative and active in trying to free themselves (not saying it's the only one, obviously).

LOL stupid auto correct I guess the t and I are close to the r and u on the touch pad. Supposed to be rune. The I'd will want to get out of imprisonment as much as the ego or super ego.

[Alrik Vas]

I'd rule that destroying the rune weapon doesn't "free" the essence/body, but destroys it as well. It'd be cool to kill gods that way, trap them in rune weapons, dump weapon in cauldron, evil cackle optional.

[SolCannibal]

I'd rule that destroying the rune weapon doesn't "free" the essence/body, but destroys it as well. It'd be cool to kill gods that way, trap them in rune weapons, dump weapon in cauldron, evil cackle optional.

Well, kind of redundant if you already got the deity defenseless enough to rip off its life force and insert in a piece of metal/stone/etc, no?

[wyrmraker]

In the vein of freeing/destroying the essence powering the rune weapon, I remember a fanfiction where the main character got a rune sword with an essence that he got along with. Yes, it was a relationship of mutual love and respect (goodly aligned essence). He lamented that they could never be truly together, since the only way to free the essence was to destroy both the sword and the essence.

So as to the question of "Why would you want to contact/free the essence powering your weapon?", I think that this is a potential answer. An allied entity of power being freed from that kind of bondage? Oh yeah.

On a different note, I have occasionally been known to toss into a treasure pile an unpowered rune weapon. All it's waiting for is it's first kill to come up to power, as it would absorb the essence of whatever it's first kill was.

[SolCannibal]

In the vein of freeing/destroying the essence powering the rune weapon, I remember a fanfiction where the main character got a rune sword with an essence that he got along with. Yes, it was a relationship of mutual love and respect (goodly aligned essence). He lamented that they could never be truly together, since the only way to free the essence was to destroy both the sword and the essence.

So as to the question of "Why would you want to contact/free the essence powering your weapon?", I think that this is a potential answer. An allied entity of power being freed from that kind of bondage? Oh yeah.

Yeah, that can work pretty nicely too - incidentally i once used something along those lines as the motivating plot of a pair of villains, or more precisely, a recurring villain of the group and a PC's malicious and spiteful demon sword.

On a different note, I have occasionally been known to toss into a treasure pile an unpowered rune weapon. All it's waiting for is it's first kill to come up to power, as it would absorb the essence of whatever it's first kill was.

Interesting idea, though i guess it would require someone powerful (10th+ level men of magic or supernatural monsters) for it to work right.

[wyrmraker]

In the vein of freeing/destroying the essence powering the rune weapon, I remember a fanfiction where the main character got a rune sword with an essence that he got along with. Yes, it was a relationship of mutual love and respect (goodly aligned essence). He lamented that they could never be truly together, since the only way to free the essence was to destroy both the sword and the essence.

So as to the question of "Why would you want to contact/free the essence powering your weapon?", I think that this is a potential answer. An allied entity of power being freed from that kind of bondage? Oh yeah.

Yeah, that can work pretty nicely too - incidentally i once used something along those lines as the motivating plot of a pair of villains, or more precisely, a recurring villain of the group and a PC's malicious and spiteful demon sword.

On a different note, I have occasionally been known to toss into a treasure pile an unpowered rune weapon. All it's waiting for is it's first kill to come up to power, as it would absorb the essence of whatever it's first kill was.

Interesting idea, though i guess it would require someone powerful (10th+ level men of magic or supernatural monsters) for it to work right.

The power level of the weapon would depend entirely on what the characters managed to kill with it. With some decent rolls on Lore: Magic, it could fairly easily be deduced what it is and how to use it. Therefore if the party whines about them getting a cruddy rune weapon, I can remind them that they chose the target, not me. I always thought it gave a party a bit of participation on determining their gear.

I had one party who had a compatriot (lvl14 party) who was near death. That character volunteered to go into the rune sword so he could keep helping out the party. I had to make some adjustments, but I made it work.

[Alrik Vas]

I'd rule that destroying the rune weapon doesn't "free" the essence/body, but destroys it as well. It'd be cool to kill gods that way, trap them in rune weapons, dump weapon in cauldron, evil cackle optional.

Well, kind of redundant if you already got the deity defenseless enough to rip off its life force and insert in a piece of metal/stone/etc, no?

It's a god. If you're on their level, you know it won't be the last you've seen of them until their soul is destroyed.

[Tor]

As far as I know, only the Cauldron of Destruction can destroy a rune weapon, which would presumably release the soul therein (and possibly any that have been drunk). See Rifts: England. It takes a Scathach of 10th level or higher to create such a cauldron.

I think Odin can also shatter Lesser/Greater ones with his spear's special True Strike power, but I think Greatest ones (including I think HU2 weapons and Nightbane Artifacts) are immune to it.

Also... in theory a Souldrinker rune weapon should be able to suck the soul out of another rune weapon... if you can draw blood.

Off-hand I don't know any rune weapons that bleed though, but who knows, maybe there is one out there.