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I'm a big fan of rune-magic, and loved the 2nd edition Runecaster class from the Vikings Campaign Sourcebook and Giantcraft.
Converting that sort of thing over to 3rd edition is definitely a trip, 'though.
Here's my initial thoughts;
There are eight runes, each of which has three different interpretations / grammatical genders / whatever, for a total of 24 letters in this particular runic script. Each rune is associated with one School of magic, and the three variations include personal runes, object runes and location runes, called, in mock-Ulfen patois, 'Man-Runes, Thing-Runes and Place-Runes.'
Adding rune-casting to a class, in this form, would be overpowering, so it pretty much calls for a base class of it's own. Using the 2E Runecaster as a base, it would have the HD, BAB, proficiencies and skills, more or less, of a Cleric, but sacrifice spellcasting and channel energy for runecarving.
The character would start knowing 4 Man-Runes (one of which must be Divination), and learn an additional man-rune each level until learning the last of the 8 Man-Runes at 4th level. At 5th level, he would learn 2 Thing-Runes, and another Thing-Rune per level until 11th level, when he would have learned the last of the 8 Thing-Runes. At 12th level, he would learn his first 2 Place-Runes, and another place-rune per level until 18th, when he would have mastered the last of the 24 runes. At 19th and 20th, he'd gain Mastery of Runes, which would allow him to use the runes to plane shift or something. I dunno, haven't thought that far yet.
He'd also have a class ability allowing him to Swift-carve a rune, starting with 1 Man-Rune at 1st level, and additional swift Man-Runes at 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th and 15th. At 17th and 19th he'd be able to Swift-carve a specific Thing-Rune.
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Man-Runes would normally take 1 minute to carve (1 full round action if you can Swift-carve that rune) and can be drawn on a temporary surface (the ground, sand, snow, etc.) or even a sheet of paper.
Man-Runes
Abjuration – You trace a complex rune in the air that entangles attacks that would harm you. You are protected as by a protection from chaos, evil, good or law spell, as appropriate to your own alignment (if you are both chaotic and good, for instance, your protection extends to both alignment types, and is cumulative against foes that are both lawful and evil!). If you are not chaotic, good, evil or lawful, you cannot benefit from this rune.
Conjuration – By tracing this soothing rune, your body is flooded with otherworldly energies that cleanse your wounds, healing you as if you had cast cure light wounds upon yourself. You can also cast this rune to gain a single immediate roll to mitigate the effects of disease or poison, but can benefit from this extra chance only a single time per infection or poisoning.
Divination – These perplexing rune twists and warps as your scribe it, but opens up your senses as if you benefitted from detect magic, detect poison and read magic, lasting for as long as you concentrate on maintaining the effect, up to a maximum of 10 minutes / caster level.
Enchantment – This rune is frustrating to carve into the air, so much so that you are affected by a rage spell for 1 minute / caster level when the carving is complete. You cannot prematurely end this effect.
Evocation – This rune opens your mind and body to the forces of the world, and you gain the ability to counterspell any spell that has the Cold, Electricity, Fire or Sonic energy type for the next minute per caster level, as if you had exactly the spell you needed prepared. You cannot counterspell any spell of a higher level than you could cast, were you a Wizard of equal level. You still need to ready an action normally, and make a Spellcraft check to identify a spell before being able to counter it.
Illusion – Once this elusive rune is completed, your form blurs and changes, granting you the benefits of a disguise self spell for the next 10 minutes / caster level.
Necromancy – This sinister rune sinks into your flesh, and makes your hands cold to the touch, so that you are treated as having cast a chill touch spell for the next minute / caster level. You can make up to one touch / caster level, as normal, and also can cast touch of fatigue at will during the effects duration (even if you have used up your allotment of chill touch charges already).
Transmutation – This shuddering rune bends under your touch, and your flesh ripples with it, leaving you with the effects of a bull’s strength spell for the next minute / caster level.
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Thing-Runes, 10 minutes to carve (1 minute if you have learned to swift-carve them, must be in a durable surface, such as wood or bone or deeply scarred into hide).
Abjuration – You can place a warding rune on an item of clothing or armor (or a shield) that acts as a magic vestment spell cast at your caster level. If enruned vestments ever leave the users possession or gain the broken condition, the rune loses power. You can have a number of such items prepared equal to your class level, and each item will only function for its designated owner.
Conjuration – You can enrune a goblet or drinking-horn containing wine or water, which is immediately purified of any contagion or toxin and becomes a potion of cure light wounds created at your caster level. It must be drained from that vessel within 1 minute of creation or it boils away and is lost.
Divination – You can carve a rune into a trinket or talisman that allows the holder to speak and understand a single language, or the language of a single animal (not an animal type, a specific animal!). This token lasts indefinitely, but a person can only benefit from a single such trinket at a time, and you cannot have more of them than your caster level in existence at any one time. Such a token or trinket only works for the person it was crafted for and not even you can have multiple such tokens for your own use in existence at one time (although you can choose to release the magic on any token or trinket to carve a new one, even if that item has been lost or stolen). A specific animal spoken to by a holder of such a trinket tends to react more favorably, and attempts to influence its behavior by handle animal, diplomacy or Wild Empathy receive a +4 bonus to the check.
Enchantment – You can carve an entrancing rune onto a distinctive or attractive item. The rune must be specified to affect a single person, and work for the benefit of a specific person. If given by its designated recipient to its named target, the item acts as a charm person spell that has an indefinite duration. The spell can be broken in any of the usual manners, and the subject gains saving throws if the sense of camaraderie is abused as normal, but otherwise the charm can last a lifetime, so long as the enruned trinket is not lost, broken or otherwise separated from the victim (who is allowed an immediate saving throw upon separation, and another one each day). You can have no more of these tokens in existence than your class level, and no person can benefit from more than one at a time, as any token created after the first for that persons benefit will immediately cancel the effects of the previous charm. These charms only function against (and for) humanoids, making this rune of limited use to a non-humanoid caster.
Evocation – By gouging this destructive into an item, you cause it to begin to shake and shiver to pieces, taking 1d6 sonic damage / minute (that bypasses hardness) for as long as you can concentrate (up to 1 minute / caster level). If the item is not destroyed, either by the shuddering forces, or the actions of your allies, all damage is restored at the end of the duration and you suffer 1d6 sonic damage from backlash!
Illusion – This rune must be cast upon a hooded robe, cloak or similar garment capable of covering its user to work. While so covered, the named recipient benefits from the effects of invisibility for up to 10 minutes / caster level. The effect is suspended if the user spends a move action removing the garment, and can be resumed again within the remaining duration, even if the user attacked someone during the time the garment was removed. If the user attacks someone without removing the garment, the delicate runes slither away like serpents, their magic expended.
Necromancy – This rune can be cast upon any item, and can be prepared in two manners. First, a specific rune can be tailored for one named individual. That individual will be afflicted by contagion if he ever comes into contact with the item, even if the rune is placed upon an arrow that is shot into his body! Secondly, a more generalized rune can be fashioned that will inflict contagion upon the first person who takes possession of it other than the caster. You can only have as many runes of this kind (whether specific or general-target) fashioned at a time as you have class levels.
Transmutation – This aggressive rune enhances a weapon upon which it is inscribed, conferring upon it the benefits of a magic weapon spell for the next 1 minute / caster level.
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Place-Runes, 1 hour to carve. Must be a stationary surface of stone, earth, etc. Cannot be moved once created.
Abjuration – This enormous rune protects all who were designated by the caster who stand upon it with the effects of a magic circle of protection from chaos, evil, good and / or law (using only the alignment(s) available to its creator) and a minor globe of invulnerability. The effect remains potent so long as the caster remains within the rune, with a duration of 1 hour / caster level.
Conjuration – This rune is soothing to the eye, and any who rest upon its surface (10 ft. radius) recover twice their normal amount of hit points from natural healing and receive +4 to any Fortitude saves to throw off the effects of poison or disease made during that time. Curative magic used within the circle is maximized automatically. The rune remains potent for 24 hours, so long as the caster remains within the circle. Any subject who leaves the circle cannot return and benefit from it again, and those who were not designated during the rune’s creation cannot benefit from its effects at all. (No more than twelve people can be designated in the casting of such a circle, and no more than six can effectively rest in the limited space available.)
Divination – This rune is carved upon a bloodstone, which is tossed into a pool of clear water. You can then peer into the pool and either scry upon another (as scrying) or use clairvoyance/clairaudience on a specific nearby location (as the spell). You can only perform one such function per use of the effect, and you cannot use a single pool of water in conjunction with this rune more than once in a 24 hour period.
Enchantment – This forbidding rune is cast upon a doorway into any structure, or even the entrance to a cave, and it can either prevent individuals from leaving, or forbid them from entering, depending on the direction the rune faces. Those named by the rune, if a particular race or cultural group, most make a Will saving throw vs. a 4th level spell or refuse to enter (or leave) the enruned portal. If the rune is designated instead to affect a single named target, the effect is stronger (+4 to the save DC) and even if the target makes its save, it suffers the effects of the Shaken condition if it passes the portal in the proscribed duration, for up to 24 hours, or until it returns through the portal. This rune has no set duration, but can only have as many of these forbidding runes enscribed at one time as his Wisdom modifier. If a structure (or cave, etc.) has more than one entrance, those proscribed gain a +4 to their Will save to attempt to enter (or leave) by these alternate means.
Evocation – This rune must be burned into the surface that holds it, and the caster becomes capable of influencing the weather, so long as he remains in the circle. You can control weather, as the spell, or call lightning, either at your caster level (but only one such option per casting). Controlled weather last only so long as you concentrate, and you (and up to 11 others you designate during the casting) can remain unaffected within the 10 ft. diameter rune. When you cease concentrating on the rune, the weather returns to normal over the next 10 minutes.
Illusion – The inscription of this rune is invisible to the eyes of onlookers, and produces the effects of a hallucinatory terrain spell upon the surroundings, determined by the caster. It cannot be changed once created and lasts up to 1 hour / caster level. The caster can leave the rune once created, without affecting the magic. Not only is the rune itself invisible, but those designated by the caster who choose to remain within the runes 10 ft. radius area (up to twelve medium sized figures, maximum) are also invisible, so long as they take no action that would break that state. The caster cannot maintain more than one such rune per point of Wisdom modifier at a time.
Necromancy – This rune is crafted either near a grave, barrow or tomb (to speak with the dead interred within) or on the shores of the sea (to speak with a dead spirit whose burial site is unknown). The effects are the same as the speak with dead spell, except that a body is not required. A dead soul that grows angry at the questioner (DM’s discretion, but successful saves, hostility in life, etc. may contribute to such attacks) may attack as a fast, plague zombie, appearing suddenly in front of the caster (for dead physically present, see pathfinder bestiary preview I) or a shadow, similarly appearing before the caster and immediately attacking (for those whose bodies are not present).
Transmutation – This spell requires the crafting of a specific rune upon the surface of a body of water. The spellcaster alone can benefit from this rune, by ingesting a double handful of that water immediately when the rune is complete. He can then transform himself into any single specific animal, as per the beast shape I spell, for up to 1 hour per caster level (any time between ingesting the waters and making this transformation is subtracted from the final duration). At 9th level, he can use beast shape II, which lasts only 10 minutes / caster level. At 12th level, he can use beast shape III, which lasts 10 minutes / caster level or the beast shape IV spell, which lasts only a single minute / caster level. Regardless of the form taken, he can transform back at any time, which ends the effect.
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In retrospect, I kinda hate limiting Conjuration to just healing effects, and am thinking of replacing the Thing-Rune with a rune-token shaped to create a Summon Nature's Ally effect that is activated when the rune-inscribed item is sundered.
This would require the Man-Rune to be able to heal others, and I'm thinking of bumping the 'create potion' effect to the lower level, even if it doesn't perfectly fit my theme of the runes affecting self, other or group, based on tier.
Ultimately, a Runecarver of this sort, would mix it up in the front lines, creating disposable one-shot items or runic buffs for self and allies with Thing-Runes, while using Man-Runes to effect himself, and Place-Runes to work bigger effects (which don't become available until 12th level anyway). Having only 24 'spells' ever, many of which will take 10 minutes or an hour to cast (with only the 8 Man-Runes being eventually all reduced to full-round casting time), limits the class significantly. As a result, just as the Warlock Invocations often have the effects of a spell, plus something extra (dispel + damage, black tentacles + chilling damage, etc.), I've tried to give each of the effects a bit of a boost over a basic spell. A 1st level Runecaster should be able to use his runes all day long, but will take 1 minute each to cast 3 of them, and a full-round action to cast one of them, so coming up with a balance that isn't over-powered for at will use, but also remains useful and playable is a fun exercise.
If I get around to hammering out a balance for the class, I'll probably do the same thing that was done with the Binder and create a Feat that allows a non Runecarver to know a single Rune, and be able to carve it a few times a day, which would be a neat sort of ability for an Ulfen Cleric or Druid (or even Barbarian, Ranger, Bard, etc.) to have.
good stuff here...
I hope you'll post your "polished ideas" as well!
'findel
Hmm, nice! I've been wanting to add Rune Magic into my own games ever since I played Arx Fatalis (cool lil' adventure game, that) but I wasn't certain as to how to go about it. Your thread has given me much to think about!
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Hmm, nice! I've been wanting to add Rune Magic into my own games ever since I played Arx Fatalis (cool lil' adventure game, that) but I wasn't certain as to how to go about it. Your thread has given me much to think about!
Thanks. I started just reading the old Giantcraft / Vikings campaign sourcebook stuff, but then got in my head some line I read in the Golarion Campaign Setting about the Thassilonian rune-script having three grammatical genders or something, and tied it into the eight Schools of Magic to come up with a total of 24 runes. (More than that would have driven me 'round the bend, I fear.)
It's still not exactly what I am looking for, since an ideal version would also be able to simulate the Totem-Sisters of Elves of Evermeet (another amazingly cool 2E 'kit' relating kinda/sorta to rune-magic).
good stuff here...
I hope you'll post your "polished ideas" as well!
'findel
Thanks! If I ever get around to figuring this idea out in my head, I definitely will post it here.
I got distracted by writing up Vudrani Mentalism (four different 'schools,' the Garajala (way of flesh and water, the clay of creation), Soachira (way of heart and mind, thoughts on the wind), Hathbhuvana (way of the limbs and mastery of the world) and Nayanbaru (halls of seeing, way of the eyes and fire), and then adapting the Killoren and Spellscales to Golarion, 'though, so it won't be immediately... I have the attention span of a tsetse fly.
Set,
Out of curiosity have you seen the Runethnae from Arcana Unearthed/Arcana Evolved or the Runeblade from Book of Experimental Might?
The mechanics are very different from the 2e Viking's sourcebook, but produces an interesting take on rune magic.
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Set,
Out of curiosity have you seen the Runethnae from Arcana Unearthed/Arcana Evolved or the Runeblade from Book of Experimental Might?The mechanics are very different from the 2e Viking's sourcebook, but produces an interesting take on rune magic.
Indeed I have, but I;
a) forgetted all about them (doh!).
b) would prefer to not just convert someone elses ideas anyway.
I had started this project thinking of just converting the Runecaster from the Vikings book, but quickly abandoned that notion to go with a three-grammared eight-School-runed Thassilonian connection instead.
I'm less familiar with the Runeblade, but with the Runethane, I noticed quickly that the number of runes a Runethane could have active at a time were fairly anemic (and, in the case of a class that *also* had pretty much full spellcasting ability, that was a very appropriate choice!). I wanted something with no spellcasting, but able to maintain dozens of runes at once, and to carve runes all day long, if it wanted to.
Monte has also explored the notion with his Graven One PrC in the first Book of Eldritch Might and the Eldritch Warrior PrC from the Book of Eldritch Might II, so he seems to be as fascinated with the base concept as I am, given how many different ways he's found to tinker with it.
Thanks for reminding me. When I re-explore this idea, I'm going to have to check out Monte's 2 rune-based core classes and 2 rune-based PrCs to see what sort of inspiration I can pillage. :)