Magic Rune Runes are spells in . Characteristics . Runes are a stationary spell , and act as a trap when walked over or passed by in close range . There are three types of runes in the base game : Fire ( orange ) , Frost ( bluish - white ) , and Shock ( whitish - purple ) . The expansion adds three more : Ash ( brown ) , Frenzy ( red ) , and Poison ( green ) . When cast , the spells take about a second to charge up , then they can be " thrown " on either the ground or wall , creating a circle with magic symbols . They can be shot at with a projectile spell or Shout to manually trigger them . The Destruction perk " Rune Master " allows the caster to throw runes 5 times farther . Only one rune can be placed at a time . Attempting to place another while a rune is already in place will cause the previous rune to disappear . Dual casting a rune will boost its damage by double . Runes are particularly useful in dealing with hibernating or entombed draugr or other enemies behind sealed doors or barriers . If a draugr is sleeping or dormant but still alive , casting a rune next to it will cause the rune to explode , heavily damaging , or killing the draugr . Runes cast as close as possible to sealed coffins or sarcophagi will also explode if the draugr inside is alive , not only hurting it but possibly triggering a premature emergence . Draugr and other undesirables behind sealed doors can also be injured this way , or even killed if they are trapped with no way they can release the doors . Runes can also be set as traps for enemies in another room ; casting the rune in a doorway or hall and then getting the enemy ' s attention via Throw Voice or projectiles ( arrows , Firebolt , etc . ) so they investigate and step on the rune . Runes can also be used in active combat with melee - oriented enemies , by casting a rune near the player and letting the enemy step in it . Runes can also act as an escape tool , casting them when fleeing a powerful enemy , like Giants or Draugr Death Overlord s . Fire Rune . Fire Rune is an " Apprentice " - level Destruction spell in . Casting it causes blobs of fire to shoot from the hands and stick to surfaces . When a target steps on or passes too closely to a Fire Rune , it explodes , causing 50 points of fire damage . Enemies caught on fire from the spell take additional damage . An alternate way of casting a Fire Rune is to use a bash with the Dawnguard Rune Hammer , using Stamina instead of Magicka . The symbol includes the runic letter ' f ' . Frost Rune . Frost Rune is an " Apprentice " - level Destruction spell in " Skyrim " . Casting it causes blobs of ice to shoot from the hands and stick to surfaces . When a target steps on or passes too closely to a Frost Rune , it explodes , causing 50 points of frost damage . Frozen enemies have hindered speed . The symbol includes the runic letter ' S ' . Lightning Rune . Lightning Rune is an " Apprentice " - level Destruction spell in " Skyrim " . Casting it causes sparks of lightning to shoot from the hands and stick to surfaces . When a target steps on or passes too closely to a Shock Rune , it explodes , causing 50 points of shock damage . " Shocked " enemies have hindered magicka . The symbol includes the runic letter ' L ' . Ash Rune . Ash Rune is an " Expert " - level Alteration spell in . It causes ash to shoot out of the caster ' s hands and cling to the nearest surface . When enemies come into contact with it , it explodes , immobilizing all in a small burst for 30 seconds . Unlike paralysis , affected targets cannot be attacked . This symbol includes the runic letter ' T ' and what appears similar - - though not identical - - to the runic letter ' H ' . Poison Rune . Poison Rune is an " Adept " - level Restoration spell in " Dragonborn " . Casting it will cause a poison spell to shoot out , and stick to a nearby surface . When a target comes into contact with it , it will explode , causing 3 points of poison damage for 30 seconds . ( i . e . 90 points of poison damage ) This symbol includes the runic letter ' I ' . Frenzy Rune . Frenzy Rune is an " Adept " - level Illusion spell in " Dragonborn " . Casting it will cause a Frenzy spell to shoot out , and stick to a nearby surface . When a target comes into contact with it , it will explode causing all nearby creatures , up to level 20 to frenzy , attacking anyone nearby . This benefits from all Illusion perks , increasing the level of foes it can affect . This symbol includes the runic letter ' F ' .