Rules Clarification: Rituals, Runes, and Sockets

Please note the following information about rituals, runes, and sockets. This is not a hotfix, but a clarification as to the intent of the ritual rules. While many errata posts have been made in the past on the subject, most of those posts seem to have been deleted as updates were made to the Heroic lists. This removed several important rulings.

Any player that has not been following this format will not be penalized for doing so, as the rulings were not made clear in the past. However, starting this event, please conform to this format. If you have extraneous rituals that cannot be used (i.e. you cast multiple Plane Shifts or Transmute Spells and can now only use one) please see me at the next event for a full refund on components.

Note that, apart from Item Creation Runes, no more than one of a given ritual may be used in a period by the same character. For example, this means you can have five Gates to different locations in the same item, but may only use one per period; it also means you can only use one Domain Shield or Scourge Doll per period. If a ritual does not state there is a limit to how often it can be used per period, it may continue to be used until it is exhausted, but only one Rune of that ritual may be used by the character per period. Keep in mind that if you invoke a socketed ritual, you may not place a new rune in that socket until the following period.

ITEM CREATION RUNES
The following runes are made permanent when Bound to a character. Socketing them in an unbound item will add six months to their duration.

• +0 Divine (Ceremonialist)
• +0 Magic (Sorcerer)
• +0 Primal (Elder)
• Druidic Ability Storing (Elder)
• Mark of the Smith (Artificer)
• Mystic Runes (Artificer)
• Protective Reinforcements (Artificer)
• Storing Prayer (Ceremonialist)
• Storing Ritual (Elder or Sorcerer)
• Storing Spell (Sorcerer)
• Vestments (Ceremonialist)
• Weapon Folding (Artificer)

PERSONAL RITUAL RUNES
The following rituals can be cast on a character or unbound socket. Casting these rituals into sockets extends their duration by 6 months. Items with Personal Rituals may not be Bound. These rituals may be used by any character.

• All Sight (Ceremonialist)
• Anoint (Ceremonialist)
• Balance of Nature (Elder)
• Change Self (Sorcerer)
• Creature Trait (Sorcerer)
• Domain Shield (Ceremonialist)
• Elemental Fortitude (Elder)
• Exorcism (Ceremonialist)
• Gate (Sorcerer)
• Leader of the Pack (Elder)
• Natural Transposition (Elder)
• Regeneration (Elder)
• Scourge Doll (Elder)
• Season’s Wrath (Elder)
• Spell Ward (Sorcerer)
• Supreme Benediction (Ceremonialist)
• Transmute Spell (Sorcerer)

AREA RITUAL RUNES
The following rituals can be cast on an area (one room or outdoor area no greater that 60’ in diameter) or mantle socket. Casting these rituals into sockets extends their duration by 6 months. These rituals may be used by any character.

• Awakening the Grove (Elder)
• Expel from Lair (Sorcerer)****
• Gabriel’s Ward (Sorcerer)
• Gargoyle (Ceremonialist)
• Holy Area (Ceremonialist)
• Ring of Time (Sorcerer)
• Sanctuary (Ceremonialist)
• Season’s Blessings (Elder) – May only be used by the caster

SELF-ONLY RITUALS
The following rituals can be cast only on a character. These rituals may not be socketed, Bound, or used by any character but the caster herself. A character may benefit from one of each Self-Only Ritual she is capable of casting simultaneously – this specifically exceeds the one non-socketed ritual limit.

• All Seeing (Sorcerer)
• Plane Shift (Sorcerer)
• Preach (Ceremonialist)
• Reincarnation (Elder)
• Time Stop (Sorcerer)

****Regarding “Expel from Lair”
On further inspection we have come to realize that while rulings were made on Balance of Nature and Leader of the Pack, two Elder rituals in which the language implies they are usable only by the caster, no such clarifications have been made about Expel from Lair. As Expel from Lair is not a Tier 2, Rank 2 ritual, the intent is that it can be used by anyone, not only the caster.
To prevent this from being exploited, the caster of the ritual should dictate a command word that must be used to activate the ritual. Also, please note that expelling someone from their own sleeping area overnight will be considered Unsportsmanlike Conduct.

Caldor Eirson wrote: I just want to be sure I understand how the one of a given ritual rule interacts with area rituals. Does this mean if someone casta a healing prayer in one holy area (or ring of time) they cannot take advantage of the benefits from one at a different location for the rest of the period.

Similarly, if someone invokes the sanctuary protection on one location, they are unable to take advantage of a sanctuary elsewhere for the period?

No. Area Rituals are cast on the area and not the person; the limit is on each mantle/area. The passive area rituals (everything but Sanctuary and Expel from Lair) can have a max of one per area, but anyone within the area automatically benefits from it (provided they are capable of doing so). Sanctuary can be invoked on an area no more than once per period. Expel from Lair can be invoked on an area three times per period.

Edit: Additionally, as it was a problem this event, please remember that uses of these rituals need to be marked on the area note card/rune card attached to the area note. If the area note is semipermanent and can't have uses marked you can attach an index card or something to it to note the periods it was used.

Winks Sharpthorn wrote: Clarifications on use and socketing of Item Creation Runes. These are things I had heard from various sources and just want a final word.

1. Previously it was assumed that Mark of the Smith had to be alone in its socket, but lately I've heard this is no longer the case and other non-Mark runes can be stacked with it, is this correct?

While this may or may not have been the original intent, there is no language in the rules that suggests this limitation, so we will not enforce it now. As long as the Mark of the Smith/Maker's Mark is the only Mark in the item, its socket can be stuffed.

2. It's been assumed that you could only stack runes in the same socket if they came from the same creation source (Artificer, Sorcerer, Ceremonialist, Elder), is this actually true, or can you stack runes regardless of source?

No, any rune can be stacked in any socket by someone with the appropriate skill.

3. In the similar vein where Artificers who can create rank 5 sockets can make rank 6 for themselves only, I swear I remember an errata at one point saying that Artificers who can stack runes can add a 4th rune into their own ranks 4/5/6 sockets at a cost of 200g worth of gems (half of which in Brilliant cut). At this point I can't find that errata anywhere, and I'm pretty sure a couple of Artificers have already acted on it. Was this ever actually a thing?

Please refer to this post from March 2014: www.knightrealms.com/forum/Announcements...for-march.html#96447
I will update the heroic list post with these hotfixes as soon as I am able.

Wili wrote: Just to make sure I understand correctly, if I get one rune of expel from lair for say, the blackbird, I can use it a total of three times, and I can use all three in the same period as long as they come from the same one rune?

So does that mean I could have more than one rune, so long as only one rune was active per period? Effectively giving three expel from lairs per period?

1. Expel from Lair can be used three times per period per casting, so there is no real reason to have more than one rune. I will update the wording of my previous post to be more clear. You can technically put more than one rune in the mantle, but would only be able to invoke one of them.

In the case of Expel from Lair, what is stopping an intruder from invoking the ritual to throw an occupant out of the building? How does one define who is and who is not able to invoke the ritual, if it's not caster only?

Mantel wrote: In the case of Expel from Lair, what is stopping an intruder from invoking the ritual to throw an occupant out of the building? How does one define who is and who is not able to invoke the ritual, if it's not caster only?

Cyfihi wrote: To prevent this from being exploited, the caster of the ritual should dictate a command word that must be used to activate the ritual.

Sorry! Missed that part.

Also I'm really happy it has a verbal component now, Ben H will be so pleased

There's still the issue of someone Expelled returning in a subsequent period and then it's a quick draw between who can say the verbal first, since they've heard it to be hit with it...

There's still the issue of someone Expelled returning in a subsequent period and then it's a quick draw between who can say the verbal first, since they've heard it to be hit with it...

Or even one of their buddies within the same period.

Simple solution - a caster is always immune to their own Expel rune.

Quick inquiry, does this mean that a person may not use multiple storage rituals of the same source even if they are on the same item?

~ Joe G.

But if a caster can put a spell rune into a mantel for someone else, that wouldn't protect the others in the room from being expelled. Like if someone comes in and is expelled- then comes in again the next period, has heard the command word(s), and expels someone else before they can expel him/her again.

Possible fix : Caster and those he/she designates can use it, or one of the people the Rune is made for can choose additional people, indicated on the card.

Why not just make it "everyone who participates in the ritual"?

There is a precedent: Season's Wrath. "Anyone who participates in this ritual up to ten people, gains an ability..."

Speaking of Season's Wrath, since multiple people who don't carry the rune gain the benefit of it, how does that work, logistically?

Mantel wrote: Speaking of Season's Wrath, since multiple people who don't carry the rune gain the benefit of it, how does that work, logistically?

Season's Wrath creates (up to) ten runes as per this ruling here .

Re: Expel from Lair exploits. Before this clarification, there were an equal number of ways to abuse it against other players (such as using Time Stop to put another Expel from Lair in the same mantle and using it against the other Sorcerer.) After discussing this with other RMs and Sorcerers who have had the skill, we have decided this situation does not come up often enough to warrant adjusting it further. If someone uses a skill in an Unsportsmanlike way, they will receive an Unsportsmanlike Conduct violation.

If you somehow end up expelled from your sleeping area during the day (something that was still possible up until this point if you pissed off the Sorcerer in your room), and you need to OOG go into your room for something, you can put on a white headband and do that. If it's overnight, and the person invoking it somehow doesn't know you are sleeping there and gives you a hard time after you say "hey man I'm sleeping here" please find an RM and we will deal with that person. The Command Word is no different from IG learning the command word to someone else's Sanctuary or Gabriel's Ward.