'''RunesRunestones''' are small items that can be socketed - one each - into any [[skill]], but not into [[traits]] or into [[item]]s, as could were runes in Diablo II. Diablo III's skill runes grant special bonuses to the skills with which they are used, altering their effects and generally enhancing them, although runic enhancements the changes that a rune makes to a skill may dramatically alter a skill's its utility.

There are Runestones come in five types of runes, and seven levels of rune quality. Some type a particular kind of bonus or alteration is typical of each one. For instance, such as the [[Crimson Rune]]often adds damage. However the effects that runestones have vary greatly with the skills themselves - a skill that doesn's added t deal damagemay not gain a damaging effect from a Crimson Rune, though these vary quite a bit between different skillsbut rather be altered in some other way.

The runes' naming scheme In addition to the five types, Runestones also occur in seven levels of quality, with increasingly potent effects. A Runestone of one level always has changed several times during developmenta more dramatic effect than a Runestone of a lower level, usually in the sense that it affects a given skill in the same way, but to a greater extent. The current iteration was devised in early 2010It is not generally known whether or not it will be possible to combine Runestones of one quality level to generate higher-level Runestones, and made public in May 2010 when however all seven quality levels are dropped by [[Bashiokmonsters]] <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/new-skill-runerunestone-namesinfo-revealedgalore/ Bashiok forum post] - Blue Tracker, May 2010January 2011</ref> revealed the names as [[Crimson]], [[Indigo]], [[Obsidian]], [[Golden]] and [[Alabaster]]. This change coincided with considerable changes to their effects.

All seven levels The Runestone naming scheme has changed several times during development. The current iteration was devised in early 2010 and made public in May of each rune can be that year when [[Bashiok]] <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/runestonenew-infoskill-galorerune-names-revealed/ Bashiok forum post] - Blue Tracker, January 2011May 2010</ref> dropped by revealed the names to be [[monstersCrimson]], [[Indigo]], [[Obsidian]]; unlike with gems, [[craftingGolden]] by and [[ArtisansAlabaster]] is not required . This change coincided with considerable changes to create the highest quality runes, although it is doabletheir effects.

==Rune Runestone Functions==

The functions of the runes Runestones are not entirely predictable in a given skill. Their bonuses vary widely and wildlygreatly, and all rune functions are custom assigned by the devs; none of them are simply +x damage, or +X casting speed. ([[Gems]] provide those sorts of predictable bonuses when socketed into itemseach type has a unique effect on each skill.) Creating Devising and implementing the rune effects of the Runestones was a tremendous amount of work for the Diablo III's developers and artists; there are nearly 120 skills x 5 runes in the game, eachwith six Runestone permutations in seven levels of potency.

While the rune functions can not be entirely known in advance, it was thought that they would have general properties that transferred across skills. This may no longer be the case, as it seems the developers are shuffling the bonuses around unpredictably, probably in an effort to make the different types of runes equivalently useful. Prior to Blizzcon 2010, runes the Runestones (which had different names at the time) were generally accepted to do the following:

===Higher -Level Rune Runestone Functions===

Each type of rune has a set A Runestone's function tends to vary in every skill, and the functions do not vary a quantitative way with the rune its level of quality, rather than in a qualitative way. For example, an Indigo Rune adds multishot to Magic Missile; higher level Indigo runes Runes don't change that function, they just but rather increase the number of projectilesgenerated. More points in skills may sometimes partially duplicate However Runestones of some quality levels also have qualitative advantages over lower-level Runestones of the bonuses provided by one or more runestones, but generally the improvements are distinctsame type. <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/runestone-info-galore/ Bashiok forum post] - Diablo.IncGamers.com, January 2011</ref>

<b>Bashiok:</b> Yes, the mechanic stays the same for the rune type in all ranks (more or less). It simply increases in power. For the alabaster Alabaster-in poison dart -Poison Dart example I’m actually not sure the increase in effect, but it likely plays off of the stun effect (higher ranks stun the target for longer). Runes that reduce cost reduce even more cost as the rank increases. A rune that would cause multiple projectiles would fire even more projectiles as the rank increases, etc. It’s not necessarily a hard and fast rule though that the increase must only be one thing. Maybe it means more projectiles AND ups the damage a little to make sure it remains competitive with other runes or skills. It has to be a somewhat fluid system.</blue>