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Runic Instruments

Runic Instruments turns music into gameplay, letting players project resonance effects that buff allies, debuff enemies, and influence the world. Instruments become active tools, scaling through runes, environment, and progression.

Description

Runic Instruments

Runic Instruments turns instrument play into a configurable support and battlefield system for the Runecraft modpack. Open an instrument, choose from the resonances you have unlocked, and keep playing to project buffs, debuffs, and optional mod-specific effects around the musician.

Status: 0.9.0 pre-release. Core systems are in place and stable; the art pipeline and organic progression triggers are the main items on the 1.0 punch list. See the full CHANGELOG.md in the jar for specifics.

Highlights

  • 90 resonance patterns across 15 instrument families
  • Four tiers of progression: Apprentice → Journeyman → Master → Legendary
  • Server-synced resonance selector and unlock state
  • Ally, hostile, self, and world-targeted effects with per-effect targeting
  • Craftable passive runes that extend range, duration, amplifier, and linger time
  • Loot-generated Song Scrolls that unlock gated resonances
  • Optional integrations for Ars Nouveau, Blood Magic, Nature's Aura, MineColonies, AttributesLib, and Iron's Spells 'n Spellbooks
  • Ensemble, weather, and biome bonuses for group performances

How it works

  1. Open a supported instrument.
  2. Pick an unlocked resonance from the overlay.
  3. Play notes to keep the resonance active; effects linger briefly when you stop.
  4. Higher tiers require unlocks — currently via Song Scroll loot or operator commands; in-game progression triggers are on the 1.0 roadmap.

Survival progression

  • Rune items are crafted with vanilla ingredients.
  • Filled Song Scrolls can appear in dungeon, mineshaft, desert pyramid, jungle temple, stronghold library, and End City treasure loot.
  • Gated resonances are unlocked through advancement progress or Song Scroll use.

Requirements

  • Minecraft 1.20.1
  • Forge 47.3+
  • Genshin Instruments 5.0+
  • Optional tested companions: Even More Instruments 6.1.4, Ars Nouveau 4.12.7, Blood Magic 3.3.5, Nature's Aura 39.4, MineColonies 1.20.1-1.1.1203-snapshot, Curios 5.14.1, Patchouli 85, AttributesLib 1.3.7, Iron's Spells 'n Spellbooks 1.20.1-3.15.4

Known limitations in 0.9.0

  • Resonance selector buttons currently render as letter-in-color tiles; icon assets ship on disk but are not yet blitted by the widget.
  • Item textures are simple placeholders; commissioned art is planned.
  • Advancement criteria are placeholders (minecraft:impossible), so Song Scrolls and operator commands are the primary unlock paths.
  • MineColonies colony_morale currently applies Regeneration as a stand-in for the full happiness API.

Feedback

Bug reports and feature requests welcome via the repository's issue tracker.