Runestone Base Protection

Link placeable runestones into a field that prevents ordinary creature spawns, much like a workbench.

Install

Install BepInEx 5, Jotunn 2.30.0 or newer, and this mod on the server or host and every client. All players need the same mod version.

With Thunderstore Mod Manager or r2modman, install this package; the listed dependencies install automatically. Install the mod and dependencies on a dedicated server separately.

For Nexus or manual installation, extract the Nexus ZIP into Valheim's BepInEx folder, or install it in Vortex as a BepInEx Root Mod. The DLL should end up at BepInEx/plugins/LinkedRunestoneProtection/BaseProtection.dll.

Use

Runestones are in the hammer's Misc category. Each costs 10 Stone and requires a workbench to place.

Control	Action
Use (E by default)	Select a stone or add it to your draft; make it your Ctrl-snap anchor.
Shift+Use	Finish the draft, adding an unlinked stone first if one is targeted.
Ctrl+Use	Unlink a stone.
Hold Ctrl while placing	Align to the anchor's 16 directions; corners use its linked field or the two latest placements.

Two stones form a circle whose diameter is the distance between them; three to eight form a polygon. A gold draft has no field effect. Finishing it creates an active cyan boundary. Removing a stone reorders the survivors, or returns the field to a draft if the shape is no longer valid. By default, edges can be up to 200 m, a field can cover up to 40,000 m², and active fields cannot overlap. The boundary appears while holding a hammer unless you change your local visibility setting.

Only the player who placed a stone can link or unlink it. Its owner or a server admin can remove it. Other players can use its field benefits and select it as a Ctrl-snap anchor, but cannot link it. Stones need no fuel, resist weather, and are not deliberately targeted by ordinary enemies.

Field effects

Spawn source	Default behavior inside an active field
Ordinary biome spawns, including passive wildlife	Blocked; individual creature overrides are available.
Raids	Enemies spawn outside the field and can run in, even with repulsion enabled.
Boss summons	Unaffected.
Fixed location spawn points	Follow workbench rules; configurable.
Physical spawner objects, such as Bone Piles	Unaffected; configurable.

Creatures already present are not removed. Optional server settings, all off by default, can also:

• Give anyone standing inside building range for individually enabled stations: workbench, forge, stonecutter, artisan table, or black forge. This covers hammer placement, removal, and structure repair, but not item crafting or placing station upgrades.
• Prevent rain and water wear on structures inside the field.
• Make ordinary hostile creatures turn away at the boundary. Bosses, raid creatures, and creatures already inside are not repelled.

Settings

Gameplay settings come from the host or server; boundary visibility is each player's choice. BepInEx creates BepInEx/config/valheim.runestone.baseprotection.cfg after the first launch. For an optional in-game F1 panel, install BepInEx Configuration Manager for BepInEx 5 (Mono) on the clients that want it.

All mod settings appear in the F1 panel without enabling Advanced.