| GM_Drake |
Runesage archetype
A bit of the wording of runesage makes it appear like you can 'float' between schools, but a full reading of the archetype makes it clear you cannot - with the specific rules on creating a new runic focus should you lose your runic focus, explicitly stating which Thassilonian schools are valid options to attune the new runic focus to and which Thassilonian schools you are not able to attune the new (replacement) runic focus to.
Below is a copy and paste of the runic sage archetype, sans the description of the archetype at the top of the write-up before the rules elements of the archetype, coded (hopefully) to make the sections that makes it clear that once you create your runic focus (bonded object), the Thassilonian school you chose is 'locked in' unless you make a new runic focus and you choose a different Thassilonian school to attune the replacement runic focus (bonded object).
I have designed an expanded runesage archetype in which a runesage gains the ability to 'float' between a limited number of Thassilonian schools until they reach 19th level and have a runic focus for each of the seven Thassilonian schools of magic as well as a home-brewed capstone ability that replaces the wizard's 20th-level bonus feat.
Runesage
Runic Focus (Su): A runesage can use her knowledge of runes to create a runic focus, a small, semiprecious stone engraved with Thassilonian runes that she manipulates to alter her spellcasting abilities. In function, a runic focus behaves like an ioun stone. To activate a runic focus, the runesage must meditate on it as she prepares her spells. Following spell preparation, she tosses the gemstone into the air, after which it orbits around her head. A runic focus remains in orbit until the next time the runesage prepares her spells. A runic focus automatically functions as a runesage’s bonded object.
A runesage does not have the option to specialize in an arcane school—all runesages must be universalists. However when a runesage creates a runic focus, she must choose one Thassilonian school of magic (see page 63). When she prepares her spells, she is treated as a Thassilonian magic specialist of her runic focus’s school for the purposes of determining what spells she can prepare (including gaining two additional spell slots per spell level of her school, and being unable to prepare spells from her runic focus’s two opposition schools). She does not gain the corresponding powers of that school, however, and always functions as a universalist wizard in this regard.
A runic focus allows the runesage to augment spells of a single arcane school to which the runic focus is aligned. As long as a runic focus remains activated, the runesage doesn’t require material components for any spell she casts from the runic focus’s aligned arcane school, provided the component’s cost never exceeds 10 gp × the runesage’s caster level. If the spell requires a material component that surpasses the cost limit, the runesage must have the material component on hand to cast the spell, as normal.
A runic focus has an AC of 24, 10 hit points, and hardness 5, as per an ioun stone. While the first runic focus a runesage creates is free, replacement runic foci can be created using the[bold] standard rules for replacing a bonded object for a wizard’s arcane bond[/bigger]. When a runesage creates a new runic focus, she can focus it on a different school of Thassilonian magic than her previous focus as long as the new school is not one that was an oppositional school from her previous focus. For example, a runesage with a runic focus on necromancy could abandon that focus and replace it with a new focus on any school other than abjuration and enchantment (as these two schools are opposition schools to Thassilonian necromancy).
This ability alters arcane bond and replaces arcane school.
-
GM Note: It is ONLY when a runesage creates a new runic focus (which automatically replaces the former runic focus as her bonded object) that she gains the ability to change which Thassilonian school of magic she is treated as a Thassilonian specialist in, thus changing which schools of magic she is able to prepare, cast and use spell completion and spell trigger magic items.
Marha, the following paragraph is how it would work by RAW, but will not apply in my campaign, as the choice to change the Thassilonian school a replacement runic focus is attuned is removed in my expanded Runesage archetype, which will allow you to gain the ability to gain the abily to 'float' between schools in a limted fashion starting at 4th level, and removing the limitation at 19th level.
As Marha's initial runic focus is attuned to Generosity [aka Greed] (Transmutation), she does not have any of Greed's opposition schools (Love [aka Lust] - enchantment & Humility [aka Pride] - illusion) in her spellbook. Should she lose her runic focus (or decide she wants to change to a different Thassilonian school of magic), it would take 1 day of downtime (I am removing the RAW of waiting a week for replacing lost bonded objects, familiars and similar class abilities) to create a new runic focus, which she could choose to attune to any Thassilonian school of magic except for Love/Lust (enchantment) or Humility/Pride (illusion) . For example if she decided to attune the new runic focus to Kindness/Wrath (evocation) she would no longer be able to prepare the Charity/Envy (abjuration) or Zeal/Sloth (conjuration) spells that are in her spellbook (or any other source) nor using spell completion and spell trigger items of the those two schools. She would gain the ability to learn and add schools of her two previous opposition schools (as neither are opposition schools to the different school of magic she attuned her new runic focus to.
-
Now, the GOOD STUFF!! I have add new abilities to the runesage archetype, using the occultist class as a reference, so that you can have in your possession, a certain number of runic foci, based on your wizard level, which you can choose from, to be your current runic focus bonded object when you make your daily preparations - and thus CAN 'float' between the Thassilonian specializations that she has runic foci for (instead of being limited to only having a single runic focus as RAW grants).
GM Drake's expanded Runesage wizard archetype
At 1st level, a runesage chooses a single Thassilonian school of magic to specialize in. She begins with a semi-precious stone (worth 50 gold) that is the associated colour of the Thassilonian school of magic she specializes in, which she inscribed with relevant rune for the school.
School of Charity/Envy (abjuration): A green stone
School of Zeal/Sloth (conjuration): A blue stone
School of Love/Lust (enchantment): A red stoneSchool of Kindness (evocation): An orange stone
School of Humility/Pride (illusion): A violet sone
School of Temperance/Gluttony (necromancy): An indigo stone
School of Generosity/Greed (transmutation): A yellow stone
Semi-precious stones: bloodstone; carnelian; chalcedony; chrysoprase; citrine; jasper; moonstone; onyx; peridot; rock crystal (clear quartz); sard; sardonyx; rose, smoky, or star rose quartz; zircon
Additional Runic Foci:
Starting at 4th level, a runesage may create one additional runic focus. Creating the new runic focus takes 1 day and requires the runesage to have a semi-precious stone (worth at least 50 gold) that is the associated colour of the Thassilonian school she decides to attune the runestone to, that is not already inscribed with any other runes except for the rune of the Thassilonian school of magic she inscribed onto it. The runesage's choice in which Thassilonian school of magic she can attune the new runic focus to is limited, which must be a school that is an oppositional school of an oppositional school of her initial runic focus (giving her an option of 2 schools to choose from at 4th level). When the runesage makes her daily spell preparations, she chooses which of her runic foci to become her bonded object until the next time she makes her daily spell preparations. Both of her runic foci float around her head, and both are restored to full hit points the next time she makes her daily spell preparations (if they were not destroyed or lost). Should her active runic focus be destroyed or lost, she may spend a day of downtime to make a new stone (worth at least 50 gold) of the appropriate colour and consumable magical components worth 200 gold per her wizard level to make the stone (or one of her other runic foci) into her bonded object. None of her runic foci function while she does not have one of them as her active bonded object. As long as the runesage has an active runic focus bonded object, she can replace one of her other missing relic foci by spending a day of downtime and etching the appropriate rune onto a semi-precious stone (worth at least 50 gold) of the appropriate colour.
At 7th level, and every 3 levels afterward, a runesage gains the ability to create a new runic foci, which must be attuned to a different Thassilonian school of magic than any of her existing runic foci, and the eligible schools she can attune the new runic focus to must be a school that is an oppositional school of an oppositional school of one her existing runic foci. The runesage can have a maximum of three of her runic foci floating around her head, and none of the three can be attuned to a Thassilonian school that is an opposition school of either or both of the other three runic foci floating around her head. All her runic foci are restored to full hit points the next time she makes her daily spell preparation, whether they were one of the three that were floating around her head or not.
At 19th level: No matter which order of Thassilonian schools a runesage chose for the previous levels they gained the ability to create a new runic focus, the remaining school of Thassilonian magic they do not have a runic focus for yet becomes a valid choice to attune their final runic focus to.
This is altering the existing RAW that allows a runesage to have only a single runic focus and the ability to change the Thassilonian school a replacement runic focus is attuned to.
Runic foci that are not her active bonded object have a faint magic item aura (caster level 1st) of the school of magic that runic focus is attuned to. The runic focus that is her current bonded item has a magic aura of a magic item with a caster level equal to her runesage class level.
Runesage Mastery [level 20 capstone ability] (replaces the wizard's 20th level bonus feat): When the runesage makes her daily spell preparations, she can choose to not gain her universalist abilities for the day to gain the following abilities for the day instead, which last until the runesage makes her next daily spell preparation.
When she chooses which of her runic foci to become her active runic focus (bonded object), her two runic foci that share one of the oppositional schools with the runic focus she chose as her bonded object for the gain the ability to float around her head and are restored to full hit points the next time she makes her daily spell preparations, as if they were her active bonded object.
The runic focus bonded object grants her the non-1st level school power of the focused school she chose for Focused School Attunement.
Each of the two runic foci that accompany her runic focus bonded object grant the 1st-level focused school power the runesage chose for Focused School Attunement.
Focused School Attunement: At 20th level, a runesage increases the potency of her runic foci. For each of her runic foci she chooses one of the focused schools for the Thassilonian school of magic that runic focus is attuned to, and chooses one of the two 1st-level powers of the chosen focused school (which is locked in as a permanent choice). - See Runesage Mastery for when the runesage gains access to the chosen powers.
Charity/Envy (abjuration) focused school: Banishment or Counterspell
Zeal/Sloth (conjuration) focused school: Creation or Teleportation
Love/Lust (enchantment) focused school: Controller or Manipulator
Kindness/Wrath (evocation) focused school: Admixture or Generation
Humility/Pride (illusion) focused school: Phantasm or Shadow
Temperance/Gluttony (necromancy) focused school: Life or Undeath
Generosity/Greed (transmutation) focused school: Enhancement or Shapechange
The two additional runic foci that pair up with the runic focus the runesage chooses as her bonded object for the day are as follows:
Charity/Envy (abjuration) bonded object runic focus is accompanied by the Love/Lust (enchantment) & Zeal/Sloth (conjuration) runic foci.
Zeal/Sloth (conjuration) bonded object runic focus is accompanied by the Charity/Envy (abjuration) & Generosity/Greed (transmutation) runic foci.
Love/Lust (enchantment) bonded object runic focus is accompanied by the Charity/Envy (abjuration) & Humility/Pride (illusion) runic foci.
Kindness/Wrath (evocation) bonded object runic focus is accompanied by the Humility/Pride (illusion) & Temperance/Gluttony (necromancy) runic foci.
Humility/Pride (illusion) bonded object runic focus is accompanied by the Love/Lust (enchantment) & Kindness/Wrath (evocation) runic foci.
Temperance/Gluttony (necromancy) bonded object runic focus is accompanied by the Kindness/Wrath (evocation) & Generosity/Greed (transmutation) runic foci.
Generosity/Greed (transmutation) bonded object runic focus is accompanied by the Zeal/Sloth (conjuration) & Temperance/Gluttony (necromancy) runic foci.