Runa Blackvein
Runa Blackvein — The Encounter
Rune-marked blade-dancer whose veins run black with old magic · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Runa Blackvein
They call her Runa for the secret-script that scars her, Blackvein for the dark ichor those runes have left beneath her skin. In the long cold north she trained as a blade-dancer of a forgotten hall, but she carved one rune too many into her own flesh, and the magic answered by feeding on her. Now the veins of her arms run black as pitch, and her paired blades thirst as she does. She fights light and fast, never standing where a sword fell a heartbeat before, opening throats and stepping clear before the body knows it is dead. The wounded she favors, for spilled blood quickens her runes and quickens her, and a foe already bleeding is a foe she will not let escape. Skalds whisper that the script she bears is not a language of any living folk, but a debt, and that one day the runes will drink the last of her too.
Run Runa Blackvein in Sixty Seconds
- What she is A fast dual-blade skirmisher and executioner, not a tank. Keep her mobile every round and never let her stand still in melee.
- Open with Carving Throw to slow a fleeing or backline target, then close and Multiattack it before it can reposition.
- Kill-priority Always strike the foe already below half HP. Blackvein Hunger rewards her with temp HP and extra necrotic, snowballing the round.
- When bloodied Lean on Bladewall against the heaviest hit and Veil Step out of the scrum so ranged or AoE can't finish her.
- Three ways to run her As a lone assassin harrying the backline, as a paired hunter with Skoll the wolf, or as the blade-piece beside a flagship boss who holds the front.
Runa Blackvein
Medium humanoid (elf), chaotic neutral
CR 6 · 2,300 XP · GUIDELINEBlade Dancer. Runa fights with a paired set of curved rune-blades. While she wields two blades and isn't wearing heavy armor, her speed increases by 10 ft. (included above) and she can take the Dash or Disengage action as a bonus action.
Blackvein Hunger (signature). The dark runes etched along Runa's veins drink spilled blood. The first time on each of her turns that she reduces a creature to half its hit points or fewer with a blade attack, she gains 9 (2d8) temporary hit points and her next attack this turn deals an extra 4 (1d8) necrotic damage.
Actions
Multiattack. Runa makes three Rune-Blade attacks.
Rune-Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8+4) slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) necrotic damage.
Carving Throw. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) slashing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or have its speed halved until the end of its next turn as the rune-edge bites deep.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Veil Step (Bonus Action). Runa takes the Disengage or Dash action (see Blade Dancer).
Bladewall (Reaction). When Runa is hit by a melee attack, she can angle a rune-blade to add 3 to her AC against that attack, potentially turning the hit into a miss.
A lithe green-skinned warrior caught mid-stride, twin curved rune-blades fanned wide and black sorcery threading up her bare arms like inked veins.
Runa Blackvein, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEPack Sense (signature). Runa Blackvein has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell and on attack rolls against any creature reduced below half its hit points.
Actions
Rending Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) piercing damage, and a Medium or smaller target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength save or be knocked prone.
Reactions
Hamstring. When a creature within 5 ft. of Runa Blackvein tries to move away, he makes one Rending Bite against it as a reaction; on a hit the target's speed is halved until the end of its turn.
A grey north-wolf that runs at Runa's heel, sharing the hunger her black runes spread to all who keep her company.
Guideline numbers — formula-tuned and read from the miniature's design, not yet table-proven. Tell us how it ran in the comments.
How It Fights — by Tier
Same creature, scaled threat. The traits never change; only the numbers move.
Open with Carving Throw to halve a runner's speed, then close and Multiattack the slowed target. When bloodied, Veil Step out of reach and pelt with thrown blades. Kill-priority is fleeing or low-HP foes so Blackvein Hunger triggers; pair her with a heavier brute who pins the line while she flanks.
Open by dashing into the softest backline target, then Multiattack to drop it past half so Blackvein Hunger feeds her temp HP and bonus necrotic. Use Bladewall on the biggest incoming hit and Veil Step away each turn so melee can't gang her. She is the assassin piece, not the wall: run her alongside a flagship boss and let her execute whoever the party leaves bleeding.
Open against an isolated striker; three blades plus Blackvein Hunger can drop a soft target in one turn. Bladewall and Veil Step keep her alive while she repositions to the next wounded foe. Kill-priority is healers and casters; pair her with a controlling boss who clusters the party so her speed and reach pick them apart.
Put Runa Blackvein on the table
Download the presupported STL and run the fight tonight — the model, and the encounter that comes with it.
Get the STL on MyMiniFactory →Clay Cyanide Companion Rules v1
How a bound creature acts
- A companion acts on its owner's initiative, immediately after the owner.
- It uses the Companion block above — roughly ×0.6 HP and damage, no recharge abilities, and at most one reaction trait.
- It moves freely; it takes its Action only while its owner is conscious.
- At 0 HP a companion is broken, not dead — restored on a long rest unless your table rules otherwise.
Original Clay Cyanide material © Clay Cyanide LLC — explicitly not the non-SRD official sidekick rules.
Questions, Asked at the Table
What CR is Runa Blackvein?
Her home tier is CR 6 (Tier 2, ~2,300 XP): AC 16, 110 HP, +7 to hit, save DC 14. Scaled stat lines for Tier 1 (~CR 2) and Tier 3 (~CR 11) are provided so she fits parties from level 1 to 15.
Can Runa Blackvein be a companion or ally?
Yes. As a mortal blade-dancer she works well as a rogue-flavored ally or hired sword, though her runes drink blood indiscriminately. Skoll, her bound north-wolf, is statted as a companion to pair with her.
Is she meant to fight solo?
No. She is an add-on skirmisher, not a centerpiece boss. She has no legendary actions, so a lone party will simply focus her down. Run her beside a flagship adversary and let her execute whoever the group leaves wounded.
Tell Us How It Ran
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Clay Cyanide Miniatures is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. This content is compatible with the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. Companion rules, lore, names, and original mechanics © Clay Cyanide LLC.
Technical Specifications
32mm, 75mm
STL, Pre-supported STL
Standard or ABS-like resin, 0.05mm layer height
Yes — ready to print, optimized supports included
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