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A thread for Runesmith hiccups people have noticed that they feel are too small to discuss or create a whole thread for, but Paizo should rectify. I'll start with one that's been nagging at me:
Expanded Glossary (Feat 12): Add 2 Runes to your Runic Repertoire.
Living Lexicon (Feat 18): Add 1 Rune to your Runic Repertoire.
Meaning a 12th level feat (taken at 18th) is better than an 18th level feat. One might even train out of EG to take it at 18th. Note that there are only two Runes in the playtest above 12th level (or 9th to be precise), yet others and I expect more upon release (and likely the playtest covers the two most difficult to balance).
Fortifying Knock (Feat 2)
"In one motion, you Raise a Shield & Trace a Rune on your shield."
Is this meant to demonstrate the smoothness of saving an action by blending two? Is it saying that the Raise a Shield motion counts as also being the Trace a Rune motion, therefore you don't need a separate free hand?
Fortifying Knock [One Action] (Feat 2)
"In one motion, you Raise a Shield & Trace a Rune on your shield."
Is this meant to demonstrate the smoothness of saving an action by blending two? Is it saying that the Raise a Shield motion counts as also being the Trace a Rune motion, therefore you don't need a separate free hand?
This feat follows the standard rules for Subordinate Actions. Using Fortifying Knock means taking a perfectly ordinary Raise a Shield action followed by a perfectly ordinary Trace a Rune action to trace a rune on your shield, without playing any action cost beyond the one action for Fortifying Knock. Thus, Trace a Rune still requires a free hand and artisan's tools, and still has the manipulate trait.
However, if for some reason your shield was 30 feet away after you raised it (impossible by current rules, but just imagine) you could use the two-action 30-foot-range Trace a Rune on it without spending any extra actions. That does highlight another discrepancy: the wording of Trace a Rune says, " If you spend 2 actions to Trace a Rune, ...." That implies that the 2-action ranged version of Trace a Rune cannot be used as a subordinate action because 0 actions are spent on it. That is usually not how subordinate actions work--the action cost can be selected even though it is not paid.
This matters for Engraving Strike, which also has Trace a Rune as a subordinate action. If you Engraving Strike with a reach melee weapon, such as a whip, or a thrown melee weapon, such as a starknife, then to Trace a Rune on the non-adjacent target you need the ranged Trace a Rune.
Mathmuse, I completely agree both with RAW & RAI, but would want the phrasing changed if correct. And would prefer to be incorrect so Runesmiths could wield a weapon w/ shield.
Transpose Etching (Feat 4), two issues
1. The name implies only Etched Runes. Best to be as straightforward as possible and change the phrasing. (Also the pinching gesture implies more than just the Manipulate trait.) As above, I'm certain of RAW & RAI, but dislike how fresh eyes might have questions.
2. One can transpose an Etched Rune, such as the Rune of Thunder (Rune 1, creature or object), onto an enemy then simply leave. Unless they have access to dispel magic (et al), they'll never sleep again, right? Come back days later. And some of the other debuffs become perhaps too robust if one can permanently attach them to an enemy (w/o upkeep actions as with Trace).
This touches on the insidious issue of bearers being unable to remove Runes w/o magical assistance. It's like a permanent curse w/ no save, which could be fine, but I reckon is unintentional.