Rune-Keeper Overview
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By Darkgolem
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alt="Kennan"
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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.
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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.
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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 Kennans attunement favorably toward runes of
destruction. Even as the goblins were burned, they reached him
with their weapons outstretched to impale him.
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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
href="http://lotro.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=737">skills,
deeds and traits here!
How Attunement Works
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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.
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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.
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single Nested Attunement
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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.
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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.
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Ridicule and Chilling Rhetoric, Kennan has 2 Dagor on his Attunement Bar
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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.
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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.
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alt="Powerful Abilities"
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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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