Rune-Keeper Overview

By Darkgolem

The hills of Annundir loomed above Kennan as he climbed, watching for signs of the goblins that Amarion warned about.  With the refugees from the surrounding lands gathered at nearby Amon Raith, the ranger was reasonably worried that the goblins might notice them and attack, and Kennan was hoping to see signs of the goblins preparations to attack, giving warning to the refugees if needed.

Reaching an outcropping between some rocks, overlooking what seemed to be an encampment of the foul creatures below him, Kennan started counting the creatures in view, noting their tribal standards, and watching their activities to determine if the things readied for war.  So intent he was upon activities before him, Kennan received only little warning before two goblins came into view around the outcropping, and charged.

Quickly, Kennan drew his rune-stones from his pouch and began writing words of power.  Using words of fire, arcs of flame played across the goblins, gaining in strength as word after word built Kennan’s attunement favorably toward runes of destruction.  Even as the goblins were burned, they reached him with their weapons outstretched to impale him.

Desperately Kennan dodged their weapons, and stepping back, changes the runes he scribed from Dagor attunement to Thalas and then, after a few seconds,  Nested attunement.  Even as the fires of his previous destructive runes finished their work, Kennan finished his healing writings, his heart lifting after the near defeat he almost suffered from the (now) dead goblins attack.  Realizing the battle may have been spotted from below, Kennan fled, aiming in the dark for Amon Raith to report his findings of the goblins activities to Amarion.

The Rune-Keeper is a new class now available with the Mines of Moria update.  Able to draw runes of power, Rune-Keepers can alternate between healing allies to destructive effects of cold, electricity and fire.  In between these two extremes are “Thalas” runes which can allow a variety of effects other than healing and destruction.  To switch from on to the other, the Rune-Keeper uses less powerful runes of each type, building a further and further attunement toward destruction (called Dagor), Steady (called Thalas) or Healing (called Nested).  So a minor Dagor effect, followed by other minor Dagor effects allows a Rune-Keeper to use a more powerful Dagor effect, but precluding Thalas or Nested effects for a short time.

Aside from this new manner of healing or fighting, the Rune-Keeper Thalas runes can do all sorts of effects.  For example, they can prophesize the future, causing (well, predicting) a companion will not be hurt by the next successful poison usage, or wound effect.  Thalas runes can debuff enemies and buff allies, making a fellowship more familiar.

See a complete list of Rune-Keeper skills, deeds and traits here!

How Attunement Works

An Attunement Bar at Steady

All Rune-Keepers have an attunement bar.   Throughout a combat, Rune-Keepers have a running total of where their attunement is.  On the left of the bar is the Dagor rune.  The closer to that rune on the attunement bar a Rune-Keeper is, the more effective damaging effects they can use, but if they are attuned toward Dagor, they cannot use affects on the right side of the attunement bar, called Nested.  The when attuned to the right, Nested rune, a Rune-Keeper can use healing effects, each more effective than those closer to the center, steady attunement bar rune, called the Thalas rune.  The Thalas rune is the place for buffs and debuffs, along with certain other effects.  As soon as combat is over, one's attunement bar quickly returns to the Thalas state.

	For example:  Kennan above uses Rune of Restoration at the beginning of combat,  giving himself one healing attunement, and creating an Point Blank Area of Effect (PBAOE) minor healing over time.  This grants Kennan (per the power description) one attunement toward Nested, and a green pip appears to the right of Thalas toward Nested, on the Attunement Bar.  Now Kennan cannot use any Dagor powers (since they require you do not have any Nested Attunement.   An attunement bar with a single Nested Attunement
	Kennan follows with Armor of Winter, since Thalas attunements are always available.  Armor of Winter provides defensive effects, but also grants 3 Thalas.. moving Kennan from 1 Nested attunement left 1 on the Attunement Bar to Thalas.. Armor of Winter moves one 3 toward Thalas, but since he only is 1 away from Thalas, he just ends up at Thalas. An Attunement Bar at Thalas (Steady)
	Kennan wants to do damage now, so he starts with a Dagor effect...Fiery Ridicule.  This requires one to have no Nested attunement, and grants 1 Dagor attunement, doing a little damage and a damage over time.  It would do more if Kennan had more Dagor attunements, but Kennan is still building up speed.  Next Kennan follows with Chilling Rhetoric, a Dagor cold affect, again granting 1 Dagor, and requiring no Dagor to be used.  This follows with another Dagor affect, with the same requirements, Essence of Storm. Having used Fiery and Ridicule and Chilling Rhetoric, Kennan has 2 Dagor on his Attunement Bar
	Now Kennan has 3 Dagor attunements, and can use one of the more powerful attacks, requiring 3 Dagor to be used, and also granting a single Dagor added to Kennan's attunement. An Attunement Bar with 3 Dagor after Kennan's 3 Attacks.  This allows the more powerful attack.

If Kennan wanted to heal, he would have to use effects that move him to a steady middle position, or wait for the attunements toward Dagor to fade, and work his way to the right from Thalas (steady) to Nested (healing).  Either way, at the end of combat Kennan is now going to quickly fall to the steady status.

Rune-Keeper Skills

Rune-Keepers have a lot of abilities, the majority of which are skills involving runes.  These skills include:

• Fury of Storm - electrical damage attacks
• Chill of Winter - cold damage attacks
• Wrath of Flame - fire damage attacks
• Middle Path - "steady" effects that act as buffs
• Visions and Foretelling - prophetic abilities that "predict" the failure of an attack on an ally, or that the next attack on an enemy will be deadly
• Words of Grace - healing rune skills

Aside from these various rune skills, Rune-Keepers have basic skills.  They have some offensive ability with their rune skills (such as accuracy and tactical critical) but only use light armor and only have parry as a defensive skill.

Some examples of rune skills are:

Epic For The Ages - an induction heal which heals over 1000 morale, and requires a lot of Nested attunement before it can be used.

Do Not Fall This Day - a foretelling where the Rune-Keeper's companion will not fall for 30 seconds, even if they go to 0 morale!

Essence of Winter - a massive cold attack which reduces an opponents ability to heal themselves, and increase their skill costs.

Epic Conclusion - an incredibly damaging lightning attack which does a very high critical, but makes the Rune-Keepers skill costs more for a short time.

Self Motivation - a Steady attunement skill which heals some of the Rune-Keepers power and makes skills cost less for the Rune-Keeper for a time.

Our Fates Entwined - a toggle healing attunement which causes some of the damage to the fellowship to be delivered to the Rune-Keeper, and makes the Rune-Keeper immune to induction skill interruption.

Rune-Keeper Traits

Rune-Keepers have a very large variety of traits available to them, most of then about making the Rune-Keeper more effective with their tactical skills.

Some examples:

Winter Storm - Fury of the Storm skills have a 35% of stunning targets under the effects of Chilling Rhetoric for 5 seconds.

Martial Training - (Legendary Trait) +15% Attack Duration, +1000 Melee Base Critical Rating, +10% Melee Damage.

Linnod of Peace - 10% Calming Text Threat reduction.

Tale of Rage - Wrath of Flames skills will put the enflamed runes buff on you, which can stack up to 5 times.  Each buff will cause your fire skills to burn for 3% additional damage.

Thunderous Words - Scribe's Spark applies the Thunder Struck debuff (reduced tactical resistance) on critical hits.

Harsh Debate - Ceaseless Argument Applies the Shaken Debuff (reduced lightning mitigation) on critical hits.

As It Is Written

The Rune-Keeper is very versatile with his rune skills, and very able to provide a fellowship with all sorts of needs.  A fellowship can use a Rune-Keeper for healing or damage dealing, making them very useful.  The only function a Rune-Keeper is bad at tanking.  The down side for a rune-keeper is non combat skills.  They have no fast travel, nor anything similar.  However, their massive number of in combat skills make up for this nicely.

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