SC - Runeword

Overview

SC - Runeword adds runeword recipes to the socket workflow from SC - Simple Sockets.

The idea is simple: an item has sockets, players place runes or gems into those sockets, and a hidden power wakes up only when the sequence matches a recipe the GM prepared.

For example, a GM can create a recipe such as:

Tir + El

If those runes are socketed in that order, the item gains the activities and active effects configured on the recipe. If a rune is removed, swapped, or placed in the wrong order, the power turns off again.

SC - Runeword does not replace SC - Simple Sockets. It depends on it. Simple Sockets owns the socket slots and the inserted rune or gem items; Runeword only reads that ordered socket list and decides whether any recipe is active.

Installation

This module is premium.

Premium modules require an active Patreon subscription.

Install access is handled through the Shattered Codex Download Hub.

See How to Download Premium Modules from the Download Hub for the full access and installation flow.

Compatibility summary:

• Foundry VTT v13 or v14
• system: dnd5e
• required module: SC - Simple Sockets

After installing:

1. Enable SC - Runeword in your world.
2. Enable SC - Simple Sockets.
3. Open Configure Settings > Module Settings > SC - Runeword.

The module settings expose the wiki link, the runeword manager, active socket styling, storage visibility, and the global matching mode.

The main settings you will use are:

• Documentation: opens this wiki page
• Runeword matching: chooses how strict the socket sequence needs to be
• Runewords: opens the runeword recipe manager
• Active Runeword Style: configures how active sockets are highlighted

Core Workflow

In practice, the workflow stays close to normal dnd5e item authoring:

1. Use SC - Simple Sockets to create socketable items and rune or gem loot items.
2. Create a runeword recipe in SC - Runeword.
3. Drag the rune items into the recipe in the required order.
4. Open the recipe's bonus item and configure the power it should grant.
5. Let players place the runes into an item.
6. The module activates the matching power and removes it when the match is gone.

The runes themselves are the key. The power comes from the recipe.

That distinction is useful at the table. A rune can stay small and readable, while the runeword can carry the real mechanics: attacks, saves, utility activities, passive bonuses, conditions, or any other active effect you would normally build on an item.

Creating Runewords

Open:

Configure Settings > Module Settings > SC - Runeword > Runewords

The runeword manager keeps the recipe list, description editor, rune order, import/export actions, and bonus item controls in one window.

From the runeword manager, a GM can:

• create a new runeword
• name the runeword
• add a description for the awakened power
• drag rune loot items into the recipe
• reorder runes in the recipe
• remove runes from the recipe
• open the hidden bonus item
• add bonus activities
• add bonus active effects
• search existing runewords
• delete recipes that are no longer used

Practical recipe advice:

• Keep rune names short and stable.
• Make the recipe order obvious at a glance.
• Avoid too many recipes that start with the same rune unless you want longest-match behavior to matter.
• Test each recipe on a real socketed item before giving it to players.

Bonus Items

Each runeword owns a hidden bonus item managed by the module.

You usually do not need to find that item manually. Open it from the runeword manager and configure it like a normal dnd5e item.

The bonus item can provide:

• Activities, such as attacks, saves, heals, or utility actions
• Active Effects, such as bonuses, conditions, or other dnd5e changes

When a runeword activates, the module copies those activities and effects onto the socketed item. The runtime copies are tagged with module flags, so cleanup can remove the generated bonuses without touching anything that belonged to the item already.

Important rule:

• edit the runeword bonus item when you want to change the granted power
• do not edit the generated runtime copies on the socketed item as your source of truth

Rune Identity

The module compares runes by a normalized identity key.

The preferred identity is the rune item name. These all count as the same rune:

El
El (Copy)
El (Cópia)

The comparison is lowercase, trimmed, and removes common copy suffixes in English or Portuguese.

If a rune has no usable name, the module falls back to the item image path. That keeps anonymous items technically matchable, but named rune items are much easier to maintain.

Only valid SC - Simple Sockets gem-style loot items can become rune references. In practice, the rune item must be an item of type loot with a loot subtype recognized by the socket system.

Matching Modes

Open:

Configure Settings > Module Settings > SC - Runeword > Runeword matching

The matching mode decides how strict the recipe check should be.

All modes compare ordered, contiguous sequences. That means:

Tir + El

is not the same as:

El + Tir

and it is not the same as:

Tir + empty + El

The three modes only differ in where a valid sequence is allowed to appear, and whether one item can wake more than one runeword at the same time.

How Matching Works

All modes share these rules:

• recipes with no runes are ignored
• recipes are checked from longest to shortest
• recipes with the same length keep their runeword manager order
• socket order comes from SC - Simple Sockets
• every socket inside a possible recipe span must contain a valid rune
• a recipe span fails if any rune is empty, invalid, or in the wrong order

That longest-first rule matters when recipes overlap:

Recipes: Tir + El, Tir + El + Ort
Item sockets: Tir + El + Ort
Result: Tir + El + Ort wins

This keeps short recipes from stealing the start of a longer, more specific one.

Strict Slot Count Matching

Strict Slot Count is the default mode.

The item must have exactly the same number of sockets as the recipe has runes. The match starts at the first socket and uses the whole socket list.

Example that activates:

Recipe: Tir + El
Item sockets: Tir + El
Result: active

Examples that do not activate:

Recipe: Tir + El
Item sockets: Tir + El + Ort
Result: inactive, because the item has too many sockets

Recipe: Tir + El
Item sockets: empty + Tir + El
Result: inactive, because the socket count and first position do not match the recipe exactly

Use this mode when the base item matters. A two-rune word belongs in a two-socket item, not in a larger item that happens to contain those two runes somewhere inside it.

Good fit for:

• stricter Diablo-style rules
• recipes where item base selection matters
• worlds where a two-rune recipe should not work inside a larger socketed item

Single Flexible Matching

Single Flexible Runeword allows one active runeword on the item, but the matching sequence can appear anywhere in the socket list.

The module checks recipes from longest to shortest. For each recipe, it scans the item from left to right until it finds a matching contiguous sequence. The first valid match wins, and no other runewords activate on that item.

Example that activates:

Recipe: Tir + El
Item sockets: empty + Tir + El + empty
Result: active on sockets 2 and 3

Example with multiple possible recipes:

Recipes: Tir + El, Tir + El + Ort
Item sockets: Tir + El + Ort + empty
Result: Tir + El + Ort activates, because longer recipes are checked first

Example with two separate possible matches:

Recipes: Tir + El, Ort + Sol
Item sockets: Tir + El + empty + Ort + Sol
Result: only Tir + El activates if it is the first winning recipe in sorted recipe order

Use this mode when socket placement can be loose, but the item should still have one awakened identity.

Good fit for:

• items with decorative or unused sockets
• worlds where players should not need the exact socket count
• simpler balance where one item can only gain one runeword bonus package

Multiple Runewords Matching

Multiple Runewords Allowed lets one item activate more than one runeword at the same time.

The module scans the socket list from left to right. At each position, it checks the sorted recipe list from longest to shortest. If a recipe matches there, the module records that match and jumps forward by the length of the recipe.

That jump is the important part: one socket cannot belong to two active runewords.

Example with two matches:

Recipes: Tir + El, Ort + Sol
Item sockets: Tir + El + Ort + Sol
Result: both runewords activate

Example with an empty space between matches:

Recipes: Tir + El, Ort + Sol
Item sockets: Tir + El + empty + Ort + Sol
Result: both runewords activate; the empty socket is skipped because it does not start a match

Example where the longest recipe wins at the same start position:

Recipes: Tir + El, Tir + El + Ort
Item sockets: Tir + El + Ort + Sol
Result: Tir + El + Ort activates first, then scanning resumes after Ort

Example with overlap:

Recipes: Tir + El, El + Ort
Item sockets: Tir + El + Ort
Result: Tir + El activates; El + Ort is not considered afterward because El was already consumed

Use this mode when a large socketed item should be able to carry several smaller powers at once.

Good fit for:

• high-magic items
• endgame socket systems
• build-crafting where players intentionally combine smaller recipe packages

Active Socket Style

Open:

Configure Settings > Module Settings > SC - Runeword > Active Runeword Style

The style window shows default and grid socket previews while you tune the active border, glow, and ambient effect.

This window controls how active sockets look on item sheets.

The styling is mostly table-facing feedback. When an item has extra sockets, flexible recipes, or multiple active runewords, the highlight makes it clear which runes are actually powering something.

UI Feedback

The module adds feedback around socketed items so players and GMs can understand what is active.

Depending on the sheet and socket layout, active runewords can appear through:

• highlighted socket slots
• rune badges near item entries
• active runeword descriptions
• copied activities on the item
• copied active effects on the item

Socketed runes

The module reads the ordered rune sequence from SC - Simple Sockets slots on the item.

1 / 4

Socketed runes

Active runeword

Generated activity

Generated effect

The module supports the default dnd5e item sheet and includes integration paths for Tidy5e Sheet.

Compatibility and Limits

Compatibility summary:

• Foundry VTT v13 and v14
• system: dnd5e
• requires SC - Simple Sockets
• designed for socketed item workflows, not standalone item crafting

Important limits:

• only GMs should configure runewords
• the module reads socket data from SC - Simple Sockets
• runeword recipes depend on valid rune item references
• generated runtime bonuses should be treated as temporary copies
• if a socketed item stops matching, the module removes the runeword's generated activities and effects

For best results, start with a small recipe list, test it on actual socketed items, and choose the matching mode that fits how strict you want runewords to feel in your world.