Below is a list of all of the runes that appear in Suikoden II along with their effects.
In order to use a rune, you need to have a Rune Master attach the Orb to the character.
Some characters cannot use certain runes (restricted by weapon type). Suikoden II also introduced a rune affinity system, so please check that before attaching any magic rune.
Some enemies (and bosses) have strengths and weaknesses that may cause changes to the amount of damage done by runes. These are listed on each enemy's page.
Finally, the number of runes that each character can attach is different. Some characters can only have one attached, while others will eventually be able to have three. Check the Rune Equipment Slot guide for more information.
Magic Runes[]
| Name | Lvl | Spell | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Rune Rage Rune |
１ | Flaming Arrows | 60 damage to all enemies. |
| ２ | Fire Wall | 150 damage to 1 row of enemies. | |
| ３ | Dancing Flames | 300 damage to all enemies. | |
| ４ | Explosion | 700 damage to all enemies. Can be united with Thor Shot. | |
| ５ | Final Flame | 900 damage to all enemies. | |
| Water Rune Flowing Rune |
１ | Drops of Kindness | Fully heal 1 ally. |
| ２ | Protect Mist | +20% magic resistance to all allies for 3 turns. | |
| ３ | Rain of Kindness | Heal 300 HP for all allies. | |
| ４ | Silent Lake | Negate all spell casting for 3 turns (affects enemies and allies). | |
| ５ | Mother Ocean | Restore one ally to full HP, cures all negative status (including unconscious) | |
| Wind Rune Cyclone Rune |
１ | Wind of Sleep | Put 1 row of enemies to sleep. |
| ２ | Healing Wind | Fully heal 1 ally. | |
| ３ | The Shredding | 450 damage to all enemies. | |
| ４ | Storm Warning | Reflect attack spell back on caster, 1 time. | |
| ５ | Shining Wind | Heal all allies for 500 HP, 500 damage to all enemies. | |
| Earth Rune Mother Earth Rune |
１ | Clay Guardian | Increase defense for 1 ally by 1.5 |
| ２ | Revenge Earth | Give 1 ally 100% accuracy with retaliatory attacks for 3 turns. | |
| ３ | Canopy Defense | Repel one spell cast on group. | |
| ４ | Earthquake | 800 damage to all enemies on the ground. | |
| ５ | Guardian Earth | Increase Defense and Magic Defense for 5 turns for all allies by 1.3. | |
| Lightning Rune Thunder Rune |
１ | Angry Blow | 100 damage to 1 enemy. |
| ２ | Thunder Runner | 120 damage to 1 column of enemies. | |
| ３ | Bolt of Wrath | 600 damage to 1 enemy. | |
| ４ | Thor Shot | 1000 damage to 1 enemy. | |
| ５ | Thunder Storm | 1200 damage to 1 enemy. | |
| Resurrection Rune | １ | Scolding | 30 damage to one enemy, double damage to undead |
| ２ | Yell | Heals the condition of being unable to fight (revives knock out ally) | |
| ３ | Charm Arrow | 400 damage to all enemies, double damage to undead. | |
| ４ | Scream | Heals all party members by 300 points | |
| Blinking Rune | １ | Ready! | Teleport one enemy, failure causes one ally to teleport. |
| ２ | Set! | Teleport objects over enemies' heads so that it falls on them 150 damage all enemies. Failure causes object to teleport over the heads of allies. | |
| ３ | Go! | Teleport all monsters, failure teleports all except self. | |
| Darkness Rune | １ | Finger of Death | Instant death to 1 enemy (excluding bosses). |
| ２ | Soul Thief | 300 damage to 1 enemy, recover HP equal to the amount of damage dealt. | |
| ３ | Final Bell | Instant death to 1 row of enemies, 500 damage to unaffected enemies. | |
| ４ | Black Shadow | 500 damage to all enemies. | |
| Pale Gate Rune (Head only) |
１ | Open Gate | 50 damage to one enemy |
| ２ | Kings Road | 150 damage to all enemies | |
| ３ | Pale Palace | 500 damage to all enemies (really does 400 damage) | |
| ４ | Empty World | 900 damage to all enemies, 90 damage to allies | |
| Bright Shield Rune (Riou) |
１ | Great Blessing | Heals 70 HP (and cures abnormal status) for all allies. |
| ２ | Shining Light | 130 damage to all enemies. | |
| ３ | Battle Oath | Heals 300 HP for all allies. 50% chance of causing Berserk. | |
| ４ | Forgiver Sign | Heals 2000 HP for all allies, remainder deals 2000 damage to a single enemy. | |
| Black Sword Rune (Jowy Atreides) |
１ | Flash Judgement | 120 damage to 1 enemy. |
| ２ | Twinkling Blade | 100 damage to all enemies, 30% chance of instant death. | |
| ３ | Piercing One | 700 damage to 1 enemy. | |
| ４ | Hungry Friend | 1200 damage to all enemies. | |
| Blessed White Lady Rune (Sigfried) |
１ | Shining Pupil | 120 damage to one enemy. |
| ２ | Moonlit Forest | 200 damage to one column of enemies. | |
| ３ | White Priestess | 400 damage to all enemies. | |
| Soul Eater (Tir McDohl) |
１ | Finger of Death | Sudden death to 1 enemy (except bosses) |
| ２ | Black Shadow | 500 damage to all enemies | |
| ３ | Hell | Sudden death to all enemies (except bosses) | |
| ４ | Judgment | 1500 damage to 1 enemy |
Special Action Runes[]
| Name | Effect |
|---|---|
| Titan Rune | For two-handed swords. Performs an attack with 1.3× damage. Acts last. |
| Viper Rune | For one-handed swords. Performs an instant death attack if it hits. 1/3 hit rate. |
| Great Hawk Rune | For bows. Performs a full-party attack. Deals 1/2 damage. |
| Lion Rune | For claws. Performs an attack with 1.5× damage. Reduces Magic and Magic Defense by 50. |
| Kite Rune | For shuriken. Performs a full-party attack. Deals 1/2 damage. |
| Unicorn Rune | For spears. Attacks a vertical row of enemies. Reduces Defense to 0 next turn. |
| Gozz Rune | For axes. Attacks a horizontal row of enemies. Causes Unbalance. |
| Pixie Rune | For staffs. Attacks at long range. Damage is 1/5 of Magic. |
| Banshee Rune | Absorbs HP from an ally until either the user is fully healed or the ally is left with 1 HP. |
| Sylph Rune | Reduces the user's HP to 1/3 and heals all allies. |
| Chimera Rune | Transfers the user's stats to one ally. |
| Nymph Rune | Triggers various effects based on Luck. |
| Dryad Rune | Converts 1 Level 2 MP into 2 Level 1 MP. |
Special Effects[]
| Name | Effect |
|---|---|
| Fortune Rune | Doubles EXP gained. |
| Prosperity Rune | Doubles potch gained. |
| Champion's Rune | Reduces encounters with weak enemies. |
| Double-Beat Rune | Enables two attacks per turn. If counterattacked, takes double damage. |
| Killer Rune | Increases critical hit rate. |
| Counter Rune | Increases chance of counterattacks. |
| Spark Rune | After the bearer’s normal attack, all allies act immediately. |
| Gale Rune | Increases SPD by 1.5×. |
| Sunbeam Rune | Recovers 1 HP every 3 steps while moving and 15 HP per turn in battle. |
| Phero Rune | Causes opposite-gender allies to cover the bearer when they are in critical condition. |
| Knight Rune | Causes the bearer to cover critically wounded allies. |
| Wall Rune | Doubles DEF. Forces auto-guard in battle but allows counterattacks. |
| Haziness Rune | Grants a chance to nullify physical attacks. |
| Drain Rune | Right-hand only. Absorbs 1/3 of critical hit damage as HP. |
| Barrier Rune | Grants a (MAG ÷ 10)% chance to reflect magic. |
| Balance Rune | Prevents Unbalance. |
| Fire Sealing Rune | Nullifies fire damage but doubles water damage taken. |
| Skunk Rune | Prevents being targeted by single-target attacks. |
| Firefly Rune | Increases chance of being targeted by single-target attacks. |
| Medicine Rune | When carrying Medicine or Mega Medicine, automatically uses it on a critically wounded ally during the bearer’s turn. |
| Double-Strike Rune | Doubles both physical attack damage dealt and damage received. |
| Wizard Rune | Halves MDEF and adds the amount lost to MAG. |
| Warrior Rune | Halves DEF and adds the amount lost to ATK. |
| Waking Rune | Starts battle asleep but becomes enraged upon waking. |
| Alertness Rune | Automatically enters the "Awakened" state four turns after battle starts. |
| Fury Rune | Keeps the bearer permanently in the "Fury" state. |
| Violence Rune | Triggers "Fury" when taking damage equal to half of max HP. |
For Weapons[]
| Name | Effect |
|---|---|
| Fire Rune | Converts 1/4 of damage dealt into additional fire damage. |
| Rage Rune | Converts 1/2 of damage dealt into additional fire damage. |
| Water Rune | Restores 5 HP per turn. |
| Flowing Rune | Restores 15 HP per turn. |
| Wind Rune | Grants a 5% chance to reflect magic. |
| Cyclone Rune | Grants a 15% chance to reflect magic. |
| Earth Rune | Increases DEF by 5 and restores 3 HP per turn. |
| Mother Earth Rune | Increases DEF by 15 and restores 5 HP per turn. |
| Lightning Rune | Converts 1/4 of damage dealt into additional lightning damage. |
| Thunder Rune | Converts 1/2 of damage dealt into additional lightning damage. |
| Fire Lizard Rune | Increases damage by 1.5× but causes the bearer to take fire damage equal to 1/2 of damage dealt. |
| Magic Drain Rune | Normal attacks have a chance to restore 1 Level 1 MP. Reduces HIT by 15%. |
| Hunter Rune | Ensures that attacked monsters drop an item if hit. Has a 5% hit rate and deals 1 damage. |
| Technique Rune | Normal attacks have a 40% chance to steal the enemy’s money. |
| Silence Rune | Normal attacks have a 20% chance to inflict Silence. |
| Poison Rune | Normal attacks have a 40% chance to inflict Poison. |
| Down Rune | Normal attacks have a 30% chance to inflict Knockdown. |
| Sleep Rune | Normal attacks have a 20% chance to inflict Sleep. |
| Friendship Rune | Increases ATK by (108 Stars + other allies) ÷ 2. |
| Kindness Rune | Increases ATK based on a hidden "affection" stat. |
| Exertion Rune | Increases ATK as turns pass, reaching a maximum of 2× after 6 turns. |
Fixed/Unique Runes[]
These runes are unique to specific characters and cannot be removed.
| Name | Effect |
|---|---|
| Fire Breath Rune | Bolgan only. Deals 2× damage to one enemy. Causes Unbalance. |
| Groundhog Rune | Millie only. Deals 2× damage to one enemy. Can be used only once per battle. |
| Fire Dragon Rune | Zamza only. Deals 2× damage to one enemy. The bearer takes fire damage equal to 1/2 of damage dealt. |
| Falcon Rune | Anita & Valeria only. Deals 2× damage to one enemy. Reduces HIT by 10%. |
| Angry Dragon Rune | Oulan only. Deals 2× damage to one enemy. Can be used only once per battle, but if in Fury state, it can be used without limit. |
| True Holy Rune | Stallion only. Enables dashing on the field and guarantees escape from battles. |
| Trick Rune | Meg only. Deals 3× damage to one enemy. Can be used only once per battle. |
| White Tiger Rune | Wakaba & Long Chan Chan only. Deals 2× damage to one enemy. May cause Unbalance. |
| Spider Slay Rune | Shin only. Deals 3× damage to one enemy. Can be used only once per battle. |
| Howling Rune | Badeaux only. Inflicts Fury on all animal and monster allies. |
| Shining Wind Rune | Feather only. Deals 1/2 damage to all enemies. Deals normal damage to flying enemies. |
| Shrike Rune | Kasumi only. Deals 2× damage to one enemy. Reduces HIT by 5%. |
| Twin Ring Rune | Karen only. Deals 2× damage to one enemy. May cause Unbalance. |
| Rabid Fang Rune | Bob only. Transforms into a werewolf. While transformed, stats increase, and 50 HP is restored per turn, but the bearer can only attack or switch out. Transformation ends after three actions, halving HP upon reverting. |
| Blue Drop Rune | Abizboah & Rulodia only. Deals normal damage to a horizontal row of enemies. Causes Unbalance. |
| Mayfly Rune | Mondo only. Deals normal damage to a horizontal row of enemies. Causes Unbalance. |
| Swallow Rune | Genshu only. Deals normal damage to one enemy and has a chance to inflict instant death. Causes Unbalance. |