ENIGMA

Relics and Runes

In Enigma, relics are powerful artifacts infused with the raw energy of Exaltium. They contain fragments of lost knowledge and magic and Runes—crystalline imprints of power that can be harnessed to enhance combat effectiveness or unlock rare abilities. This system combines ancient lore with arcanotech innovation, offering players meaningful progression that encourages exploration and tactical decision-making.

Relics: Rare artifacts discovered in ruins, from powerful foes, or earned through alliances with factions and high-stakes missions. These ancient items contain Runes, and while the relics themselves may have historical significance, their runes provide mechanical advantages.

Examples of Relics:

A broken gauntlet from a forgotten warlord, vibrating with hidden power. 

A ceremonial dagger from an assassin’s guild, still sharp enough to cut through illusions. 

A prototype visor used in secret Exaltaco experiments, designed to uncover hidden truths.

Runes: Crystallized fragments of Exaltium energy found either embedded in relics or as standalone artifacts. They provide permanent enhancements, allowing characters to refine their abilities, improve their gear, and unlock new powers. Unlike other resources, runes do not degrade over time, making them highly coveted. These small, gemstone-like objects are etched with shifting arcane symbols and glow with distinct colors based on their function—deep red represents brutality, while silver blue signifies clarity. When attuned, they hum with a faint energy that resonates with their wielder.

Rune Extraction: Runes can be extracted from relics and embedded into weapons, armor, or personal enhancements. However, this process is irreversible, as the relic is destroyed. Alternatively, runes can be harvested for Aptitude Points instead of being equipped, ensuring that even unwanted runes still hold value.

Acquiring Runes: Runes are found throughout the world of Enigma in different ways:

Embedded in Relics: Discovered during exploration, these legendary artifacts were hidden away.

Looted from Solo Foes: Elite enemies may possess gear that has runes embedded in it.

Quest & Faction Rewards: Some organizations safeguard or hoard rare runes.

Rune Restrictions: Runes are interesting ways to increase your character’s power, but there are limits to consider when pursuing them.

Limit: A character can have up to 7 runes equipped at a time, regardless of tier.

Diversity: No character can equip more than one of the same rune type.

Unstackable: Runes cannot be stacked (e.g., you cannot equip multiple Rune of Precision for a massive ranged attack bonus).

Interacting with Runes: You can use powers from the Runic Archetype or pay an NPC Runic to interact with Runes in the following ways.

Extract: You can extract Runes from Relics or other gear

Embed: You can embed extracted or found Runes into your gear

Harvest: You can harvest a rune for aptitude points instead of embedding it into your gear.

Fuse: You can fuse (combine) three identical runes of the same tier into one rune of the higher tier

Example: Three Lesser Runes of Night Sight → One Greater Rune of Night Sight.

Types of Runes: Runes are divided into two major categories:

Capacity Runes: Each Capacity Rune grants a bonus of +1, +2, or +3 to related checks, enhancing essential character Capacities.

Utility Runes: Provide special mechanical or utility-based abilities that increase effectiveness with each tier.

Refer to the sections below to learn more about specific Runes.

Capacity Runes: Each rune enhances a specific capacity based on its tier. Runes come in Lesser, Greater, and Master tiers, offering increasing bonuses to related checks.

Tier Rune Effect
Lesser Rune of Brutality Add +1 to your roll whenever you make an Attack check to make a melee attack
Greater Rune of Brutality Add +2 to your roll whenever you make an Attack check to make a melee attack
Master Rune of Brutality Add +3 to your roll whenever you make an Attack check to make a melee attack
Lesser Rune of Clarity Add +1 to your roll whenever you make a Glean Check
Greater Rune of Clarity Add +2 to your roll whenever you make a Glean Check
Master Rune of Clarity Add +3 to your roll whenever you make a Glean Check
Lesser Rune of Momentum Add +1 to your roll whenever you make a Navigate Check
Greater Rune of Momentum Add +2 to your roll whenever you make a Navigate Check
Master Rune of Momentum Add +3 to your roll whenever you make a Navigate Check
Lesser Rune of Potential Add +1 to your roll whenever you make a Manifest Check
Greater Rune of Potential Add +2 to your roll whenever you make a Manifest Check
Master Rune of Potential Add +3 to your roll whenever you make a Manifest Check
Lesser Rune of Precision Add +1 to your roll whenever you make an Attack check to make a ranged attack
Greater Rune of Precision Add +2 to your roll whenever you make an Attack check to make a ranged attack
Master Rune of Precision Add +3 to your roll whenever you make an Attack check to make a ranged attack
Lesser Rune of Presence Add +1 to your roll whenever you make an Influence Check
Greater Rune of Presence Add +2 to your roll whenever you make an Influence Check
Master Rune of Presence Add +3 to your roll whenever you make an Influence Check
Lesser Rune of Resolve Add +1 to your roll whenever you make an Endure Check
Greater Rune of Resolve Add +2 to your roll whenever you make an Endure Check
Master Rune of Resolve Add +3 to your roll whenever you make an Endure Check

Utility Runes: Utility runes offer functional and situational advantages. They scale in usefulness with each tier: Lesser, Greater, and Master.

Tier Rune Effect
Lesser Rune of Evasion Once per rest, you can avoid triggering an attack of opportunity
Greater Rune of Evasion Twice per rest, you can avoid triggering an attack of opportunity
Master Rune of Evasion Thrice per rest, you can avoid triggering an attack of opportunity
Lesser Rune of Featherfall Reduce damage received from falling by 2
Greater Rune of Featherfall Reduce damage received from falling by 4
Master Rune of Featherfall Reduce damage received from falling by 6
Lesser Rune of Night Sight See in darkness within 2 spaces as if it were daylight
Greater Rune of Night Sight See in darkness within 4 spaces as if it were daylight
Master Rune of Night Sight See in darkness within 6 spaces as if it were daylight
Lesser Rune of Striding Increase your speed by 1
Greater Rune of Striding Increase your speed by 2
Master Rune of Striding Increase your speed by 3
Lesser Rune of Teleportation Once per rest, teleport up to 6 spaces as an action
Greater Rune of Teleportation Twice per rest, teleport up to 12 spaces as an action
Master Rune of Teleportation Thrice per rest, teleport up to 18 spaces as an action
Lesser Rune of Unbounded Navigation Once per rest, reroll a Navigate check as a reaction
Greater Rune of Unbounded Navigation Twice per rest, reroll a Navigate check as a reaction
Master Rune of Unbounded Navigation Thrice per rest, reroll a Navigate check as a reaction
Lesser Rune of Undeniable Influence Once per rest, reroll an Influence check as a reaction
Greater Rune of Undeniable Influence Twice per rest, reroll an Influence check as a reaction
Master Rune of Undeniable Influence Thrice per rest, reroll an Influence check as a reaction
Lesser Rune of Unerring Accuracy Once per rest, reroll a missed ranged attack as a reaction
Greater Rune of Unerring Accuracy Twice per rest, reroll a missed ranged attack as a reaction
Master Rune of Unerring Accuracy Thrice per rest, reroll a missed ranged attack as a reaction
Lesser Rune of Unrelenting Ferocity Once per rest, reroll a missed melee attack as a reaction
Greater Rune of Unrelenting Ferocity Twice per rest, reroll a missed melee attack as a reaction
Master Rune of Unrelenting Ferocity Thrice per rest, reroll a missed melee attack as a reaction
Lesser Rune of Unrivaled Manifestation Once per rest, reroll a Manifest check as a reaction
Greater Rune of Unrivaled Manifestation Twice per rest, reroll a Manifest check as a reaction
Master Rune of Unrivaled Manifestation Thrice per rest, reroll a Manifest check as a reaction
Lesser Rune of Unwavering Insight Once per rest, reroll a Glean check as a reaction
Greater Rune of Unwavering Insight Twice per rest, reroll a Glean check as a reaction
Master Rune of Unwavering Insight Thrice per rest, reroll a Glean check as a reaction
Lesser Rune of Unyielding Endurance Once per rest, reroll an Endure check as a reaction
Greater Rune of Unyielding Endurance Twice per rest, reroll an Endure check as a reaction
Master Rune of Unyielding Endurance Thrice per rest, reroll an Endure check as a reaction

Running the Relics & Runes System: The Relics and Runes system in Enigma combines narrative depth with mechanical progression. Relics are rare artifacts infused with Exaltium, while runes provide customization options. As the Game Master (GM), it’s essential to ensure that both relics and runes are exciting, balanced, and rewarding.

Distributing Relics and Runes: Obtaining Relics should feel earned.

Frequency: Aim to distribute one relic every four sessions. Adjust this frequency for faster-paced narratives. Mix combat-oriented and non-combat relics to provide players with diverse experiences.

Sources:

Story Rewards: Grant relics for completing quests or reaching significant milestones.

Foes: Defeating notable enemies may yield valuable runes.

Exploration: Players can discover relics in ancient ruins or vaults.

Factions: Trusted allies may provide relics or runes.

Balancing Progression: To ensure player powers remain manageable, consider the following points:

Encourage Investment: Utilize NPCs to provide leads on relics and allow faction reputation to affect access to runes.

Maintain Rarity:

Lesser Runes should be rare yet accessible to player characters during the first third of a campaign.

Greater Runes should act as significant upgrades and are best suited for the middle third of the campaign.

Master Runes should represent the pinnacle of treasure and are ideal for the final third of the campaign.

Promote trading or harvesting of runes to keep the inventory system engaging.

Making Runes & Relics Meaningful:

Lore: Relics ideally have interesting stories that discuss their creation, great deeds, or legendary wielders that ground them in the rich world of Enigma.

Unique Encounters: Enemies wielding relics should have abilities linked to those relics. Introduce rune-based puzzles for added interaction.

Player Choice: Provide options for players to embed, harvest, or fuse runes.

Managing NPCs & Wealth Economy:

Runic NPCs should:

Offer services in exchange for Wealth Points.

Be distinct characters with unique backgrounds.

Provide hints about exciting adventures related to rare runes.

Wealth Economy: Encourage players to think critically about their spending priorities, ensuring that prices for services and items feel meaningful.

Troubleshooting & Avoiding Pitfalls:

Hoarding Relics: Encourage players to engage in rune harvesting or trading to alleviate this issue.

Disinterest in Runes: Weave unique narratives around runes and showcase rune abilities through enemies.

Focusing on One Rune Type: Diversify encounters and benefits to present a variety of rune types to players.

By following these guidelines, you can create a rich and rewarding experience in Enigma's Relics and Runes system.