Rune Magic

Intro

While it is a well-known fact that Dwarfs are resistant to magic, few denizens of the Old World understand Grungni’s folk are fundamentally incapable of using magic as Wizards do. While Elves and Humans can perceive and use the Winds of Magic, Dwarfs cannot. They cannot develop Witchsight, they cannot learn to channel magic, and they cannot cast spells in the traditional way. However, this does not mean Dwarfs are bereft of magic like the Halflings. Rather, Dwarf magic takes a different form: Rune Magic. For thousands of years, an ancient guild of craftsmen known as the Runesmiths has jealously guarded the secrets of this form of magic. Mastery of the runes has made the Dwarfs the pre-eminent creators of magical items in the Old World. Many famous Human weapons, like the Runefangs or Sigmar’s hammer Ghal Maraz, were crafted by Runesmiths. It is no wonder then that the Runesmiths do not share the power of the runes, and only guild members are allowed to practice the art. Rune magic takes a fundamentally different approach than the art of Wizardry. While Imperial Magisters use the Winds of Magic like fuel, Runesmiths are more careful. They believe Wizardry is inherently unsafe, and Tzeentch’s Curse proves them right over and over again. They do not ignite the fuel of the Winds of Magic. Instead, they trap it inside a rune to bind it and hold it. When so confined, the magic can be used safely. Runesmiths treat magic like any other Dwarf craft. Mastery takes patience, hard work, and dedication.



Rune Types

Realms of Sorcery details three types of runes: Armour, Weapon, and Talismanic. Other types of runes exist, such as the Engineering Runes Dwarfs use on their siege engines, but they are beyond the scope of WFRP and so not described herein. Armour Runes and Weapon Runes are self-explanatory. Talismanic Runes are those that can be inscribed on items like rings, circlets, crowns, rods, belt buckles, and amulets. Runes can be created in two different ways: temporary and permanent. A temporary rune is good for one use only but is relatively quick to create. Once a temporary rune is used, it disappears, and there is no indication that the rune was ever inscribed. A permanent rune lasts until the item bearing it is destroyed, but it takes a long time to create. Most runes can be created in either fashion, but some can only be made one way or the other.

Source

 * Warhammer: Realms of sorcery (2005) pages 209 & 210